Lily and Thistle
by paws-bells
Summary: ShiYori 'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2420

**Rating: **M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 15/07/13

**Completed on:** 15/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 23/07/13

* * *

**Feels Like The First Time**

* * *

When Hiyori finally regained herself, her heart pounding madly in her chest and her senses completely overcome by pleasure, the first thing she saw was her lover's handsome, angular face, his heavy lidded golden eyes watching her with lazy desire and masculine attentiveness as she slowly recovered from her earlier incredible, earth shattering orgasm.

She was momentarily taken aback by his close proximity to her, still not used to their newfound intimacy with each other, and she promptly froze. Her passion flushed face reddened further; they were both stark naked and had just consummated their relationship for the very first time, and now that the deed was done, the petite blonde felt extremely vulnerable and embarrassed, like an animal whose unprotected underbelly had just been completely exposed – coincidentally to the same man who had known her for most of her afterlife and witnessed all of her worst moments. Her body was still trembling like a leaf in the aftermath of her very first sexual experience; she felt so bare and sensitive and incredibly aware of her own femininity at the same time, and in stark contrast, Shinji's overwhelming maleness only served to accentuate the strange feelings of tenderness and uncertain weakness that welled in her.

Hiyori was extremely unaccustomed to experiencing such disconcerting sentiments, and not surprisingly, now that her overwhelming lust and sexual frustrations were momentarily sated, she was feeling very alarmed by her unstable emotions. She had gone completely stiff by then, but her golden-haired lover chuckled lowly and just pulled her closer, intent to demonstrate his affection for as much as she was willing to let him. She was such a prickly little thing most of the time, and even though he privately found her touchy temperament endearing, this seldom seen, docile side of her was rather charming as well.

However, before he could do anything else, in typical Hiyori fashion, she quickly reacted to her awkwardness by trying to isolate herself from the situation causing her such unease in the first place. Abruptly, she squirmed out of his arms in an effort to distance herself, pushing away from him with near frantic agitation. She blushed further when her struggles swiftly reminded her that they were still intimately joined together in sexual congress, and then her panic grew. All but clawing her way out from under him now, she finally separated from him and quickly made a wild gambit for freedom.

"Hiyori!" Shinji protested, making a swift grab for her and missing, not expecting that she would suddenly choose to flee, of all things. He quickly sat up from the nest of blankets, his lean, sleekly muscular form tensing in preparation for pursuit – she was going to be in for a big surprise if she thought he was going to let her run off after this – but his little monkey did not go far.

She barely managed a single step before her legs abruptly gave out on her, and the petite female spilled clumsily onto the floor, stunned by how her body had just betrayed her. Shinji leaned over the edge of the bed to look down at her, and she appeared completely bewildered at she stared at her trembling limbs.

"What's wrong?" he asked, immediately alarmed. After all, it had been less than a month since she had fully recovered from the near deadly injury that Ichimaru Gin had dealt her, and he had every right to be concerned.

Her current condition had nothing to do with her past injury however, and everything to do with the activity that she had just participated in with him.

"My legs…have gone wobbly," she confessed slowly at last, and it didn't take him long to figure out what had happened, judging by the growing smirk and the look of pride on his face.

"It was that good for you, huh, brat?" he drawled amusedly, relaxing once again since it was obvious that she was not going anywhere for now.

Hiyori spluttered and glared death at the overly smug man who was going to die once she recovered from this utterly embarrassing predicament. "Don't get so full of yourself, you damn perverted baldy!" she barked angrily then, bristling with annoyance and defensiveness, but she was promptly ignored. In no great hurry, he rose from the bed with a lazy grace that she could only wish she possessed, his languidly elegant movements almost mesmerizing to behold, never mind that, like her, he was unashamedly and unabashedly nude at the moment.

He crouched before her, a slight smile quirking his lips, but his golden eyes were steady and intent, sweeping over her small, incredibly self-conscious form with quiet possessiveness and masculine satisfaction. Affection and contentment were also prevalent in his tender gaze – she belonged wholly to him now, and he would never forget how sweetly she had surrendered herself to him. Propping his chin up with the palm of his hand, he asked with deceptive mildness:

"Do you wanna come back to bed, or are you gonna just continue ta' sit on the cold floor like that?"

She glowered at him, bristling. "Leave me alone, hentai yarou!"

"I don't think ya have the right ta' call me that, Hiyori," he murmured, amusement evident in his tone. "Not when you were the one who jumped me first, if I recall correctly."

She flushed at the reminder, and then she bit her lip uncertainly, her little fang showing prominently, her eyes darting everywhere but at him, looking so vulnerable at the moment that it was hard to believe this was the same fiercely proud and aggressively passionate woman who held his heart. It was _adorable_, this side of her.

Without waiting for her reply, he reached out and scooped her into his arms; he was always disconcerted when he was reminded that she was so tiny – her ferocious spirit had always made her seem larger than life to him. She quickly tensed, but he easily circumvented her impending explosion by lowering his head and kissing the side of her neck. She trembled, and he smiled inwardly – she was so sensitive.

"C'mon, Sweetheart," he told her. "Back to bed."

She wasted no time smacking him over the head then. "Don't call me Sweetheart!" she yelled, puffing up with indignation all over again. "Is there something wrong with your fuckin' head, hage Shinji?! Do I look like one of those stupid bimbos you're always sweet talkin'?"

He put up with her abuse like he always did, setting her back down amongst the blankets before joining her. She was still being very…fighty though, but he ignored her struggles and pulled her close. "Alright, let's call a truce," he announced then. "We need ta' talk, so stop being so ornery for a second, brat."

She stiffened at the 'talk' part. If anything, her movements grew even more frantic. "There's nothin' to talk 'bout," she burst out quickly. "We just had s-s-sex, big deal!" she stuttered with false bravado. "I was just curious and this is only a onetime thing; don't get too ahead of yerself, shithead!"

"What happened to wanting to be a virgin bride, hm?" he asked her flat out. She sputtered.

"I changed my mind, alright!" she snapped. "I don't wanna die a virgin when the next megalomaniac comes around trying to destroy the worlds again!"

He was immediately upset by her reply, but for the reason that she least expected. "You aren't gonna die," he snapped back. "You're gonna live till you become an old and saggy midget hag; I'll personally make sure of that."

She grabbed fistfuls of his hair and started to pull none too gently then, immediately incensed by his words. "How dare you call a lady a hag, asshole! Don't think that you're some hotshot just 'cause I gave my virginity to you!"

"Precisely." He rolled her under him and kept her in place, pinning her with his weight and pushing his knee in between her legs, stunning her with his speed. "You gave me your virginity, so that means you're stuck with me now."

She froze and gawked at him in disbelief. "Wha?"

"Yeah, you heard right," he repeated unflappably and calmly. "You. Are stuck. With me. For the rest of your life, brat."

She looked utterly gob smacked by his words, but he just continued unperturbedly. "And don't kid yourself, luv. This isn't gonna be just a 'onetime' thing like you so nicely put it. You and I, we have a few decades' worth of sexual tension to work through, so we might as well start now."

"Don't call me 'luv!'" She punched his shoulder hard, but he didn't even flinch. "Lemme go, perverted baldy! It doesn't work that way!"

"Doesn't it?" he asked, deadpan. "Tell me, do you regret what we just did?"

"Yes!" she barked immediately, scowling at him. "I'm regrettin'! I'm definitely regretting now!"

He studied her agitated features with narrowed eyes, and at last, he just shook his head.

"You suck at lying," he told her simply, and she swore at him, the little hothead.

"Struggle all ya want, but you're gonna be a Hirako bride eventually, so ya might as well just give in gracefully now."

As far as Shinji was concerned, they just had the wedding night in advance. The golden-haired Captain was perfectly fine with that, what with his tendency to do things backwards sometimes.

"Screw you," Hiyori blustered, outraged at being told what to do. "I'm not gonna marry you!"

"Screwing me was what got you in this position in the first place, brat," he told her with fond amusement. He really ought to thank her for this, since she had just saved him the difficult task of having to subtly corral her into a relationship. "Since you started this, it's only fair that I get to end it."

She looked like she wanted to end him instead, but then he leaned in and kissed her. Surprisingly enough, she grudgingly submitted to his ministrations, weak to his physical displays of affection.

"It's already done, Hiyori," he whispered huskily in her ear after he had her sufficiently distracted. "This deal is sealed as far as you're concerned. You've already been baited and hooked, caught. Now, all that's left to do is to reel you in and land you."

The petite blonde turned bright red, and then she wasted no time clocking her stupid lover in the face with her own forehead. This time, the impact smashed into his skull with a loud clunk. Shinji immediately pulled back, cursing up a streak. He had just had his bell rang, hard.

"I'M NOT A BLOODY FISH, DAMN BALDY!" she lifted her head and bellowed right into his ear. Then, she lunged over and sank her sharp little fangs into his bare shoulder, unceremoniously drawing blood, just for the sheer hell of it. He let out a distinctly unmanly yelp.

"HIYORI!" he yelled back, his forehead throbbing in pain. Really, this little monkey was still as unmannerly and as disagreeable as ever. He was extremely careful to keep her legs firmly trapped under his, though. The last time he intentionally provoked her, she had made sure to go right in for the kill, biting, scratching, kicking and punching anything that got in her way. His poor balls were black and blue for at least a week. Why did he love this woman again?

"YOU BETTER HAVE A PROPER PROPOSAL THE NEXT TIME YOU ASK!" the pint-sized blonde shouted at him. "AND YOU ALSO BETTER BE ON YOUR DAMN KNEES!"

Shinji stopped swearing abruptly. He looked sharply at the angry woman under him, his disgruntlement with her quickly forgotten. "Next time?" he echoed, sobering. "Hiyori, what are you saying?"

The ex-Shinigami clamped her mouth shut, having spoken more than she intended to on the subject. "Nothin'." She scowled crankily at him. "And lemme go!"

"No," he told her. "We're not going anywhere until you clarify this." He paused, and then continued. "S'pose I ask ya ta' marry me, what do ya say?"

Hiyori growled, not liking her current position. But Shinji could be very stubborn if he wanted to as well, and he wasn't going to back down until he had his answer. "HELL NO! That's what I'm gonna say! No way in hell! And I swear, if you don't release me right now, I'm gonna kick yer ass so bad-"

He ignored her aggressive rambling and persisted. "Is that a 'Yes, Shinji-kun, of course I'll marry you' that I hear?"

With a perfect poker face, the Gobantai Taichou continued to mimic her possible response in a falsetto voice that sounded absolutely _nothing_ like her, much to her outrage. "Oh, this is a dream come true, my handsome, darling Prince! We'll have a perfect sunset wedding by the sea and twenty bridesmaids to hold onto my hundred foot long wedding train as I ride down the aisle on a little white pony and commit my life to yours for all of eternity. And then we'll share a perfect kiss in the backdrop of the entire Goteijusantai-"

Hiyori looked like she wanted to kill him then for his ridiculous charade but couldn't quite manage it since he had her completely incapacitated now.

"Shut up! I do _not_ speak like that!" she burst out. "And there will be no goddamn fuckin' ponies or hundred foot long trains or twenty bridesmaids at our wedding! The whole thing's gonna be nice, short and simple, dammit!"

Then, she suddenly realized what she had just said. The triumphant look on the jackass' face was nearly enough to convince her to commit murder.

"That's a yes, isn't it, brat?" he pressed teasingly, now smiling. She kept stubbornly silent this time, not about to be prodded into revealing any more than she already had. But that was alright, Shinji already had his answer. It was as much of a verbal confirmation as he could get from her at this point of time, and really, she had already showed that he had her favor when she gave herself so sweetly to him today.

And now that this was settled…

"What are you doing?" the tiny blonde still lying under him suddenly demanded, her sharp voice hitching slightly when he lowered his head and brushed his lips against her neck, his large hand stroking her bare thigh at the same time.

"I did mention just now that we have helluva lot of sexual tension to work through, didn't I?"

"What?! Wait! D-Don't you fuckin' dare, S-Shinji!"

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Yeah, so my love for ShiYori got completely out of hand and I feel like I have been dragged kicking and screaming into this fandom by my muse. That's not such a bad thing, I suppose, since I do feel very strongly for this couple and can't seem to write anything but them for the last week or so, much to my chagrin. Might as well not fight it any longer and just go along with the flow, eh?

**xXxXxXxXxX**

As mentioned in the summary, 'Lily and Thistle' will be a one-shot collection in the same universe of 'Say Please,' my other ShiYori one-shot smut fic. As such, the chapters here will all be loosely related but may not be in chronological order (I will try to refrain from this), though that shouldn't be an issue since most of the installments can be taken as separate shots themselves.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

FYI, the title 'Lily and Thistle' is taken in reference of Shinji and Hiyori's respective Shinigami Division insignias, the Gobantai's Lily, and the Juunibantai's Thistle. In the language of flowers, the Lily represents passion and devotion, and the Thistle is known to mean bravery and loyalty. I thought that the symbolisms of the flowers were rather fitting for our main characters, even though Hiyori is not currently a member of the Twelfth Division and the Gotei 13.

Do you know that lilies and thistles are a very popular floral arrangement for bridal bouquets? I was googling them up to see what the flowers looked like and they were absolutely gorgeous together. (Sorry, I'm currently at that insufferable stage where every little thing that even vaguely justifies my OTP sends me and my inner fangirl into ridiculous paroxysms of joy and happiness.)

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For those who are curious, the term 'hentai yarou' loosely translates to 'perverted bastard,' just so you know.

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There will be smut in this fic; mild insinuations of sex, blatant descriptions of sex, you name it, it probably will be in here. I don't know if that makes me perverted or what, but ShiYori is my new BelHaru – i.e. my new favorite smut couple. This fic is M-rated for a reason; you have been warned!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Last but not least, thanks for reading!

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Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 1982

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 16/07/13

**Completed on:** 16/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 25/07/13

* * *

**The Empress' New Clothes – Part I**

* * *

It didn't take Lisa long to figure out the truth.

"You finally gave it up to Shinji, didn't you?" the bespectacled woman mentioned out of the blue one day.

Hiyori, who had been more than a bit irritable over the considerable summer heat, just scowled at the older female's ambiguous comment. Lounging on the couch in the warehouse in a distinctly unladylike manner, the small blonde had a sad paper fan in her hand as she tried rather ineffectually to combat the soaring temperature. "What are ya yappin' 'bout?" she demanded grumpily. She had long since forgone her trademark red jacket and was only in her thin, white tank top, perspiration slicking her skin as she attempted to find a more comfortable position to relax in on the lumpy sofa.

Turquoise eyes studied the petite girl. Lisa had been wondering about Hiyori's more languid mannerisms recently – the usually tense, edgy female was just a little less quick to lash out, a little less eager to make whoever was unfortunate enough to offend her bleed. She was still the same grouchy little turd overall, but now there was an unexpected _softness_ to her fierce features, a slight glow to her that had not been there before. There was a _womanly_ quality to Hiyori now, barely noticeable as it was, but undeniable all the same. As such, it was easy to put two and two together and reach the inevitable conclusion that had been a long time coming – there was only one man brave (and stupid) enough to take on Hiyori, after all, even back when they were all seated officers in the Gotei 13, more than a century ago.

"Your virginity," Lisa remarked calmly, never taking her eyes off of her josei manga as she did so. "You finally lost it to Shinji."

There was a distinct sound of someone choking in the background of the girls' conversation.

Love stood up suddenly from the loft of the warehouse, looking distinctly flustered and irritated. "I'm outta here," the large man announced before he swiftly flash stepped away, most likely intending to keep as far away from this entirely uncomfortable discussion as physically possible. He did not need to know more about the private affairs of the antagonistic couple than he already did.

Hiyori nearly fell out of the couch at Lisa's flat statement. The surprised flare of her reiatsu was proof enough that the older female had hit the nail right on the head.

"What the _hell_!" the pigtailed blonde yelled. Her earlier bored expression was completely wiped off of her face now, and in its place was a familiar anger accompanied by no small amount of fluster. "Who told you that!"

Lisa calmly turned the page of her manga. "Nobody. You just had that look about you."

"What look?!" Hiyori sounded horrified, her hands coming up to check her face in case she had been walking around with the words 'no longer a virgin' tattooed on her forehead.

Lisa lifted her shoulder in a casual shrug. "You know. That 'finally got laid' look. I'm going to take a guess and say that you were the one who jumped Shinji, since he won't allow himself to touch you unless you instigate it. About time you put the poor man out of his misery."

Hiyori was starting to look even more agitated in the face of the ponytailed woman's absolute serenity. "You _guessed_?!" the smaller woman screeched. "And how come you automatically assumed that I did it with Shinji?!"

"Oh? It's not him?" Lisa did not sound like she could care less. "You better prepare to defend your lover boy then, whoever he is. Shinji's going to be pissed."

The grass is green. The sky is blue. It's going to rain soon. The ebony-haired Vizard sounded like she was just reciting a boring fact, which it might as well be, judging by how long they had all known about their leader's affection for his short-tempered brat.

Hiyori sputtered futilely for a few seconds. Her ochre eyes narrowed, but she at last muttered very lowly. "I didn't say that it wasn't him."

Lisa finally deigned to look up from her book. The blonde was puffing out her cheeks slightly and appeared visibly embarrassed. There was a small frown furrowing her brow, but overall, there was an unexpectedly endearing quality that Hiyori possessed (if one managed to look past her outwardly offensive and prickly demeanor, that was), and Lisa could see why the current Fifth Division Captain was so taken with her.

"You do look kind of sexy nowadays, Hiyori," Lisa remarked without shame or self-consciousness, and the younger girl gaped at her incredulously.

"WHAT?! ARE YOU SHITTIN' ME?!"

"Your movements. They are looser, less edgy. There's a languid sensuality. The air around you is also softer – it attracts attention."

Hiyori's face was even redder than before now. "I'M NOT GOIN' SOFT, DAMMIT!"

"I never said you were," Lisa countered calmly. "I just said that you looked thoroughly loved – you have that particular glow about you – and that's pretty sexy. Congrats on your newfound womanhood, Hiyori."

Lisa was as deadpan as ever, and Hiyori's mouth opened and closed in disbelief and shock. She looked like she wanted very much to say something but could not seem to find the words.

"By the way, are you attending the summer festival later, Hiyori?" the older Vizard continued to ask unflappably.

"…Maybe. Why?" the blonde replied grudgingly at last, intent on pretending that the last few minutes of their conversation had not occurred at all. She would likely go to the natsu matsuri and check things out for a bit – it wasn't as if there was anything much to do around here recently, and she was having an intense hankering for festival grub. Some yakitori and yakisoba sounded pretty good, actually.

"You should put on a furisode, then. It's been decades since you last wore a kimono."

* * *

A few hours later, a visibly irritated Hiyori was stalking down the streets of Karakura town, a fierce scowl on her face as she ignored the blatant stares of the other pedestrians.

Furisode, her ass! This was the last time she was going to listen to Lisa! She should have known that the other Vizard would take the opportunity to drag her off to one of the latter's favorite cosplay shop and dress her up like a little doll – this always happened whenever Hiyori was stupid or unlucky enough to go clothes shopping with Lisa, so she really didn't know what she was expecting this time around. She had been dragged into the establishment screaming and scratching and then been made to endure at least two hours of being a living clothes horse; she had barely escaped with her life as it was, let alone her pride.

Her dignity was left in tatters on the floor of that store alongside with her tracksuit, and now she had no choice but to put up with this incredibly bastardized version of a kimono that she had been made to put on before she managed to sufficiently distract Lisa and quickly sneak off. It was very pretty though, a delicate confection of black silk patterned by a storm of pink, white and red Sakura petals scattered throughout the fabric.

Hiyori had never quite seen a kimono like this, let alone worn one prior to today. First of all, its hem was incredibly short unlike the customary floor length versions, with an unusual flared skirt that stopped several inches above her knees, leaving the rest of her slender legs completely exposed and showing her bare feet that were encased in a pair of small, delicate zori sandals. Strangely enough, there was no need to wear a nagajuban either, though the sleeves of the silk material did resemble a traditional kofurisode somewhat, with a long sweeping length that matched the hem of the kimono perfectly when she spread out her arms. The obi was extremely lovely though, a pure bolt of wide crimson red brocade that spanned her tiny waist, overlaid by a second, narrower piece of obsidian silk, and together, they were both tied into an intricately elaborate bow of black and red at the small of her back. The decorative obijime completed the outfit, the thin, braided ebony cord looped around her middle and knotted at her side, the two red beads at the ends clinking lightly with every movement she made.

The entire ensemble, though like nothing she had ever come across before, was simply gorgeous and it made her feel extremely feminine and cute. Contrary to popular belief, Hiyori was not a complete tomboy and could appreciate adorable and beautiful things just like any other girl, and she had to admit that her current attire looked pretty sweet. As such, the blonde consoled herself with that fact, and besides, it was really not that bad. The shortness of the costume ensured an utter ease of leg movement that a formal furisode could never afford her, and the lack of heavy fabric meant that she would not overheat in this sweltering summer weather, and since she was already more or less dressed for the occasion, she might as well just continue on to the town's natsu matsuri and grab some well-deserved dinner on the way.

It did not take the pigtailed young woman very long to reach the riverbank where Karakura town's annual Summer Festival was held. Already, it was beginning to teem with people, and although the little blonde didn't usually like to be faced with such a massive tide of humanity, she was willing to make an exception this time for the sake of the delicious food that was already calling out to her with their delectable scents. With a little grin on her face, Hiyori followed her twitching nose, her earlier bad mood easing at the impending prospect of being fed.

It was only when she was standing before a stall selling mouthwatering okonomiyaki that Hiyori suddenly realized something very important.

She had not brought any money with her. Her belongings were all still with Lisa, and right now, she was completely empty handed.

_Shit. Shiiiiit_.

The little blonde wanted to swear at her bad luck. She was very close to throwing a full on temper tantrum. The Vizard's warehouse was located at the other end of town and she was hungry and wanted food, stat! Hiyori was wondering what she could do now, eyeing the food stall (and the food she could not eat) with an angry, distinctly forlorn air when along swaggered over a pair of human teenage boys.

"Hey there, cutie pie," they leered at the petite girl with the sweet, freckled face and the innocently sexy appearance. "Are you here alone? Wanna hang out with us?"

Hiyori's immediate instinct was to snarl at the pair of dipshits for interrupting her and maybe beat them up violently while she was at it, but then she promptly backtracked her thoughts and saw opportunity instead. Considering the somewhat good looking youths standing cockily before her, it didn't take Hiyori long to realize that the two doofuses here were probably god's answer to her prayers.

Hmm, this could work…

Cackling inwardly at her sudden change in fortune, the ex-Shinigami turned to her victims and deliberately widened her eyes, making the expressive ochre depths glisten ever so slightly. She slowly moistened her pink lips with the tip of her tongue, and watched as the two boys immediately focused on her, almost as if mesmerized. A shy, trembling smile quickly had them infatuated, and a soft, maidenly blush closed the transaction.

Hook, line and sinker.

"You really wanna play with me?" she asked with a deliberately breathless, sweet, girlish lilt. The boys flushed and nodded. "Really?"

Another series of quick nods.

Hiyori smiled slowly, her catlike eyes sharpening slightly with predatory intent.

"Alright then."

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

This is the first part of three shots. The second and third will be coming up shortly!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Yes, so the other Vizards found out. It's not really surprising, since they are a pretty close knit group and are bound to realize such things sooner or later. Also, since most of them are at least experts in zanjutsu and the art of fighting, it makes sense that they will pay more attention to things like body language and sense that some things are different now.

Also, I'm not sure how much this pertains to real life, but according to some shoujo mangas, women who have had sex or are no longer virgins (as a result from having aforementioned sex) suddenly become more sexy and unconsciously sensual in their demeanors to the people around them, and if that was true, then I figured that out of that lot of them, Lisa would surely pick up on it right away, so there you go.

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About the cosplay shop, well, we all know that Lisa's an otaku – there's no such thing as an otaku with no interest whatsoever in cosplay. Besides, she's always dressed in a sailor fuku herself, so it shouldn't be that farfetched to imagine that there's a shop she goes to for all of her otaku needs, ahaha.

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Hiyori is such a little hellion, but I do believe that she, too, has her girly side, or at least, she will not hesitate to make use of said girly side in order to get her way.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Natsu Matsuri translates to Japan's summer festivals, held all over the country during the summer season. There are usually souvenir booths, food and game stalls aplenty during the duration of the festival. Okonomiyaki, Yakitori, and Yakisoba are some of the common street foods sold.

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Some of the Japanese terms used in this chapter to explain Hiyori's outfit:

According to Wikipedia, a furisode (振袖?, lit. swinging sleeves) is a style of kimono distinguishable by its long sleeves, which range in length from 85 centimeters for a kofurisode (小振袖) to 114 centimeters for an ōfurisode (大振袖) and are the most formal style of kimono worn by unmarried women in Japan.

A nagajuban is an under robe worn beneath the kimono to keep the kimono clean by preventing contact with the wearer's skin.

The obi is the sash worn with the kimono, and the obijime is a tasseled, decorative string that is tied around the obi.

Last but not least, the zori are traditional Japanese slippers that resemble flip flops. The more modern versions (which are what Hiyori is wearing) are usually made of vinyl materials and have sloped platform soles.

There are actually a lot more parts and pieces to a traditional, formal kimono, but since what Hiyori is wearing is not exactly a proper kimono, I skipped out on a lot of things. Visit Wikipedia and read it out if you are genuinely interested; they are pretty informative on the subject of kimonos over there.

If anybody is interested in a picture of the dress that had inspired Hiyori's outfit, let me know and I will put a link up in the next chapter.

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Last but not least, thanks for reading!

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Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2523

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 16/07/13

**Completed on:** 17/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 27/07/13

* * *

**The Empress' New Clothes – Part II**

* * *

Hirako Shinji was having an absolutely boring day so far.

As always, life in Seireitei passed with excruciating slowness; it seemed like everyone lived out their long lifespans like Galapagos tortoises, and looked just about as interesting as they did so. It had been good to return as the head of his original division and see the other Captains and friends whom he had lost contact with a century or so ago, but after the initial homecoming period was over, it was quite apparent that the entire lot of them in the Court of Pure Souls had hardly changed at all – a century was nothing to the lives of beings who could easily live for thousands of years, and, like it was before his exile, the pace of living here was unbearably lazy and sluggish.

To Shinji, who had grown to love the accelerated, colorful world in the Living Realm, this was the hardest thing to get used to again. It felt like he was going backwards in time, and not surprisingly, Shinji was not interested in living life like some outdated dinosaur – even though he rightfully belonged with the lot of them in the first place. _Boring_. It was utterly, mind numbingly boring.

His Lieutenant, Hinamori Momo, was of the very proper and straight-laced sort. She was very eager to please and took everything too seriously at the same time, though that was good since she tended to take care of most of the day-to-day issues of their Division with swift deftness and efficiency, and usually without too much interference on his part. Old Man Yamamoto, Unohana, Ukitake and Kyouraku were still the same from back in the day when they were all Captains. Yoruichi's replacement, Soi Feng, was something of a stiff with no sense of humor whatsoever. Ditto the Captains of the Rokubantai, Nanabantai and Juubantai. The current Kenpachi was as bloodthirsty as the last one he remembered, and Urahara's replacement, Kurotsuchi, was still a creepy little shit, only he was higher up the food chain now. Even Rose and Kensei had lost some of their levity as they focused their attentions on running their respective divisions, and really, he had no one to argue with or annoy in between his time spent managing the Gobantai, which usually involved long hours spent in his office reviewing paperwork and revamping the division's organizational structure to suit his operational style, accompanied by the occasional spar with his seated officers to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the men and women who now worked under his command.

All in all, life in Seireitei after the war was pretty dull and peaceful, which was why he visited the Living World whenever he could. It wasn't difficult to secure permission from the Old Man; unrestricted passage to and from the Living World for the four Vizards was part of the conditions that he had set for all of them when they were all recalled to retake their posts amongst the Gotei 13. Officially, this was to keep track of the remaining Shinigami/Hollow hybrids in Karakura town and also to maintain a formal line of communication with the other exiled Death Gods living in the area. Unofficially, there wasn't much the Old Man could do to stop them from sneaking between the realms if they really wanted to, and besides, this granted request was but a tiny recompense owed to them for the injustice that they had been dealt over a hundred years ago.

So right now, after an earlier three hour long (and entirely tedious) Captains' Meeting in the First Division, Shinji was walking away from the Urahara Shoten with the former Captain of the Twelfth Division in tow, his arms folded in front of his chest and his hands tucked into the voluminous sleeves of his Captain haori, an entirely apathetic look on his face as he made small talk with Kisuke and lazily collected information from the other blonde regarding any unusual happenings occurring in Karakura. The informal surveillance assignment was a small enough price to pay in exchange for the right to come and go as he pleased between the dead and living realms, and besides, it was always good to keep abreast of matters in Karakura, since nasty events had a bad habit of occurring around a certain Kurosaki Ichigo with alarming frequency and regularity.

Speaking of which, the orange-haired Substitute Shinigami and his Quincy friend were walking a few paces ahead of the two men, having seemingly run into the latter duo by coincidence a short while ago. The pair of humans were dressed in summer yukata and, after some subtle ribbing from both Shinji and Kisuke, eventually revealed that they were on their way to meet their friends to attend the local natsu matsuri together, and since the two older souls had no particular destination in mind, they ended up tagging along as well.

The festival was in full swing by the time they neared the riverbanks of Karakura town, with a colorful, noisy deluge of humanity that Kisuke gamely took in stride and that Shinji seemed to appreciate. For once, both men did not look out of place at all with their traditional outfits, and were therefore largely ignored by the throngs of revelers and matsuri visitors as they slowly made their way through the stalls. The younger males, though, were already scowling and frowning respectively, visibly uncomfortable and not pleased to have to brave the overwhelming crowds.

It was then, though, that Ichigo's bored regard caught sight of something both horribly familiar and astoundingly shocking at the same time. Swiveling his head sharply to take a better look at what he had just seen, the orange-haired teenager came to an abrupt stop even as his jaw unhinged. Uryuu nearly ran into his friend – Ichigo had halted abruptly without any warning at all.

"Kurosaki, do you not know how to walk properly?" he snapped, looking distinctly irritated. "What's wrong with you now?"

In answer, the Substitute Shinigami just pointed towards the utterly bewildering sight that had caught his attention in the first place. His eyes were not playing tricks on him, were they? "What the hell…? …Is that…_Hiyori_?" he blurted out loudly, incredulity coloring his tone, squinting slightly at he did so and scowling even more than usual. "And what is she…?"

Hearing that name was enough to catch Shinji's attention, and breaking off the conversation with Kisuke, the Fifth Division Captain lifted his head and glanced swiftly in the direction that Ichigo was gesturing, along with everyone else in the group.

It took him slightly longer than usual to pick out the woman in question from amongst the crowds, not only because she had masked her reiatsu, but also because he almost did not recognize her at first sight. It took a second look before he finally registered that the petite blonde whom he was currently staring at was one and the same Sarugaki Hiyori – _his_ brat.

He was not the only one gawking in surprise.

The small group of Shinigami, Vizards and Quincy were visibly taken aback for a few short seconds. Not surprisingly, Urahara and Ishida were amongst the first to recover from the unusual sight. The bucket hat wearing blonde looked vaguely amused then. "Oh my," the man murmured, unfurling his fan with a graceful snap of his wrist to hide his chuckle as he did so. "Hiyori-san sure is looking prettier and cuter these days."

Shinji, still gaping, was too astonished to muster a reply.

Ichigo scowled. "She looks like a girl," the orange-haired teen announced almost accusingly then, as if he had been deliberately misled into thinking otherwise all this while, much to Uryuu's slight snort of derision.

"Newsflash, moron. Sarugaki-san _is_ a girl."

If even the usually oblivious Ichigo could discern that fact, then it was obvious that Hiyori was looking _very _different today.

"No, she isn't," Ichigo muttered. "She's a monkey, a chibi gorilla!"

But there was clearly nothing remotely apelike about the girl right now, as they could all attest. They were still a fair distance away from the small female in question, and the overwhelming number of people around them ensured that their presence had not been detected by her yet. Besides, the short blonde appeared quite distracted by her two unknown male companions, and as they watched, she was bestowing upon the aforementioned dumbstruck boys an absolutely adorable little fanged grin and an expectantly innocent flutter of her large, heavily lashed eyes even as she pointed to a nearby food stall and said something to them.

A good three quarters of the men in the group were not even aware that she was capable of making such cute, impish expressions. Somehow, it was not entirely surprising that those besotted boys whom she was with were immediately scrambling to fulfill her every wish, and Uryuu blinked when he abruptly realized what was going on.

"She's…manipulating them so that they'll buy her food," he commented in disbelief. And damn if it wasn't working like a charm, judging by the way those two were all but competing with each other to feed her.

Ichigo face-palmed. Trust Hiyori to break out her feminine wiles for something like this! Really, he should have known!

"What the _hell_ is she wearing?" Shinji suddenly thundered then, finally regaining his senses. The usually bored looking blonde also appeared particularly murderous as he surveyed the scene before him with suddenly sharp eyes, and Kisuke side-eyed the flustered Shinigami Captain with something akin to curious amusement before realization quickly occurred.

Huh. So that was how it was.

Uryuu answered on the behalf of the Fifth Division Taichou, pushing the bridge of his slipping glasses firmly back onto the ridge of his nose as he did so.

"It's a Wa Lolita Kimono dress, I believe, designed in the style of a Kofurisode. Notice the long, sweeping sleeves? The Sakura petals motif of the material is astoundingly exquisite as well, as is the intricate lace detail on the skirt itself-"

"Enough, Ishida," Ichigo interrupted before the Quincy could really warm up to his favorite topic. "I think the rest of us all stopped listening after you mentioned that Hiyori is in a dress. Voluntarily."

Uryuu frowned slightly at that. "Why not? Sarugaki-san looks amazing in this ensemble, and she also clearly knows how to present herself to her best advantage."

Shinji twitched at that. The brat was, perhaps, a little too good at presenting herself to the unsuspecting male masses (and rather immodestly, to boot). Her dress was much too short for his taste and left a good amount of her lean, slender legs bare. Her small feet were encased in delicate zori sandals that drew attention to her surprisingly dainty ankles and the smooth arch of her milky calves. The elaborate obi was tightly cinched at her midriff, emphasizing her exquisitely narrow waist and slight, feminine figure, quickly proving without a doubt that, despite her small stature, she was clearly all woman. She looked like a beautiful little doll, and even her usual fluffy, pigtailed hairstyle added to her charm, an innocently sexy appeal that attracted all sorts of masculine attention.

She was everything that he had always known she could be but was none too keen to share with the rest of the world, and Shinji could not believe that it had come to this, but right now, he would gladly buy her all the shapeless, hideous looking tracksuits she favored as long as she promised never to wear such provocative outfits again, at least not without him around to chase away overly interested parties. Shinji was still having trouble trying to reconcile this cutely manipulative, mischievously sensual young woman to the fiery little hellion he had claimed as his own, and the fact that there were two males (albeit weak human boys whom she was obviously just toying with) hovering over her with obviously impure intent did nothing to improve his agitation.

"I agree, Hiyori-san is becoming quite the lovely young lady," Urahara remarked innocuously as he casually fanned the flames of the fuming blonde beside him. "Her spirited personality is rather enchanting; some men prefer their women feisty, you know."

"She looks like jailbait," Shinji snapped then, looking particularly furious when one of those boys had the nerve to touch her arm – and she was allowing it. "Excuse me," the Gobantai Taichou bit out then. "I suddenly remember that I have something very important to take care of."

Without another word, the usually laidback blonde tersely disappeared from their midst, leaving behind a terribly entertained Urahara and two visibly baffled teens.

"Oi, Urahara, where's Shinji going in such a hurry?" Ichigo questioned.

There was an abrupt exclamation carrying over from the distance then, and the trio immediately turned to check out the commotion.

"Sarugaki-san is gone too," Uryuu remarked, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Her companions are still there, though." The two boys looked utterly bewildered, as if the girl that they had been with mere seconds ago had literally been snatched out of midair.

Ichigo's brow furrowed. "What's the hell's going on?" he scowled, not appreciating the fact that the damn Urahara shopkeeper was keeping secrets from him _again_.

Kisuke brought his fan closer to his face. It was too bad that Yoruichi was not here to see this; she would be very interested to know the events that had transpired today. "Ah, there's nothing to worry about. Like I just said, some men prefer their women feisty."

Surprisingly enough, the Substitute Shinigami and his Quincy eventually caught on to his meaning, judging by the gob smacked looks on their faces.

"You mean Shinji and monkey Hiyori are…" Ichigo trailed off, looking slightly confused. His brown eyes suddenly widened. "Shinji's a _lolicon_?!"

Urahara's gray eyes gleamed with mirth at the orange-haired teenager's visibly disturbed expression. "For the good of your wellbeing, Ichigo, I hope you never say that in front of either Shinji-san or Hiyori-san. For your information, Hiyori-san may look deceptively small in size, but I assure you that she's a fully grown young adult capable of making her own decisions when it comes to the matter of her personal relationships."

"But she's tiny! Even my baby sisters are bigger than her!" Ichigo protested.

"Again, Ichigo, for your own good, I hope that you will be smart enough not to say such things to Hiyori-san, or she may just demonstrate to you her proficiency in physical combat despite her slight build."

Ichigo, having witnessed on multiple occasions the hot-tempered woman's 'love taps' towards the Fifth Division Captain, was definitely not keen to be on the receiving end of such treatment. He already took enough beatings from Rukia as it was.

"I don't understand what Shinji is thinking," Ichigo remarked then. "The midget monkey's so short and violent! Whatever does he sees in her?"

Ishida and Urahara paused and looked at the other teen with varying degrees of skepticism. The Quincy dryly replied for both himself and the blonde ex-Shinigami.

"I don't think that you are in any position to point fingers here, Kurosaki."

"What?!"

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Second part of three shots. The last one will be up as soon as I get it back from my beta!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Um yeah, very slight mention of IchiRuki at the end. There will be hints of side pairings every once in a while in this fic, but since I don't intend to put a lot of focus on those, I don't think this should be a big issue. Still, just putting it out here as a heads up to you guys.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

FYI, Wa Lolita is a pretty popular Lolita fashion style in Japan. The outfits are usually modified versions of kimonos or hakamas with a Lolita skirt twist. There are some very lovely costumes that can be found on Google Image Search for those who would like to see what they look like. I have also taken the liberty of including a link on my profile page (under the 'Extras' heading) to the particular costume that inspired Hiyori's outfit for this miniseries. Feel free to have a look if you are curious enough!

I think that Hiyori, with her small build, would look absolutely adorable in such an outfit, which was what spurred me to write this in the first place, ahaha.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Hiyori's official height is 133 cm, and that means she's shorter than even Ichigo's sisters, Yuzu and Karin, who stand at 137 cm and 136 cm respectively. Yes, she's absolutely tiny, but I still stand firmly by my belief that she's a full grown young adult. If both Akon and Ichimaru Gin can grow from little midgets to apparent adulthood in the span of a century, then it stands to reason that Hiyori has matured similarly as well – she just happens to have a very petite build, that's all.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Last but not least, thanks for reading! I'm really glad that there are fellow fans out there reading and favoriting this humble little fic. This fandom is so quiet that I often feel like I'm talking to myself here, haha. ShiYori FTW!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3357

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 17/07/13

**Completed on:** 19/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 28/07/13

* * *

**The Empress' New Clothes – Part III**

* * *

"Shinji! What the hell are you doing?! Lemme down!" Hiyori yelled from her now familiar, dangling position at the waist level of her lover. He had his arm wrapped securely around her middle and was swiftly traversing the night skies, easily toting her along like she was nothing more than a small barrel of sake.

She had been startled when he had popped out of literally nowhere to grab her at the natsu matsuri. He had been so fast that there was no time for her to react; the pure white of his haori obscuring her vision for a brief nanosecond, the sharp shift of her center of gravity as he jerked her to him, and then they were airborne. She didn't even have the time to grab the box of takoyaki from Dipshit #1 before Shinji hauled her off, though to her credit, she was able to continue wolfing down a few sticks of yakitori and ikayaki en route to wherever he was taking her. Now though, all the blood was rushing straight to her head and of course the petite female was starting to get pissed. She was not appreciating this mode of transport at all and most particularly was not amused to be carried off when she wasn't even done eating her fill yet. Those two human boys had been exceptionally obliging even without any (literal) arm twisting on her part, and even though they kept crowding her for some reason or another, it wasn't anything she couldn't handle.

She was really surprised by Shinji's presence; she hadn't known that he would be in the Living World today, and even though a (very tiny) part of her was glad to see him, that did not exempt him from her flaring temper for suddenly dragging her away from her free meal.

"Shinji, what's the big idea?! I was eatin' back there! How dare you take me away from my food! I'm still growing, ya know! I need my meals! I'm gonna bite ya if you don't lemme down this instant!" And she was squirming about like a slippery wriggly puppy, clawing ineffectually at his hand and kicking the air behind her futilely, trying to make good on her threat, twisting her head around and about to chomp down on his forearm when he tightened his hold on her warningly. She squeaked when his arm constricted around her middle, feeling about as hard and unyielding as a band of steel, a subtle reminder that however much goofy and a pushover he was to her sometimes, he was still very much a man and very strong.

"Brat, I'll turn you over my knee and spank you like the unruly child that you are," he informed her grimly, and she was so surprised by his tone that she stilled momentarily to look at him. He was looking straight ahead as he continued to move, his handsome, patrician profile unusually tense, and she wondered what had crawled up his ass and died there. Also, if he thought that he could just threaten her into submission or just tell her what to do…

The petite blonde did not even hesitate as she sank her sharp little fangs into his arm defiantly. He swore and deliberately dropped her. She was forced to let go of him as a result, screeching in surprise as she fell a good couple of meters from the air before he swooped down and swiftly caught her again, this time in a secure bridal carry that would hopefully keep those sharp chompers of hers away from his extremities.

"You dropped me!" she yelled accusingly at him.

"You bit me first," he snapped back, appearing every bit as disgruntled as she was. She looked like she was going to reach over and strangle him then, and it was a good thing that they had arrived back at the warehouse or they would probably be duking it out with each other right there. Entering the empty building, he set her back down on her feet and frowned at her like some disapproving prude. She scowled back at him, undaunted. At the same time, the irritated woman reached down and smoothed out the fabric of her skirt over her legs, which had ridden up somewhat during the abrupt trip back. He was watching her with a strange look on his face when she glanced back at him again, and she narrowed her eyes at him, unimpressed by his weird behavior so far.

"What?!" she demanded grouchily.

"Why are you dressed like this?" he demanded at last, asking the question that had been plaguing him the entire time. She was utterly distracting, and now that she was standing right before him, her entire appearance was proving to be a lot more provocative than he had first thought. He actually had to make an effort to keep his eyes trained on her face and not linger all over her body like he was tempted to do so.

Hiyori appeared briefly taken aback by his unexpected question. It was just clothes. Why was he so upset about it? The smaller blonde shrugged then. "Lisa took me to her cosplay shop and made me put it on. She was 'bout ta put a French maid outfit on me next but I bailed."

Shinji twitched at that. Damn that Lisa! What on earth did she think she was doing with other people's girlfriends? He was going to have a talk with the other Vizard about this, that was for sure.

"It's good," she told him then, lifting out an arm and admiring the long, flowing sleeve of the intricately designed fabric. "It doesn't hinder my movements at all, surprisingly enough. I think I can even fight in this."

"Fight?" he echoed faintly, looking at her with rising alarm. She wanted to fight…in that _getup_?

Hiyori nodded, warming up to the topic. "I can move very easily in this." To prove her point, she pivoted on her heel and executed an absurdly graceful butterfly twist…not so coincidentally granting him a full view of her panties in the process. For the first time ever, the brat successfully gave him a nosebleed without physically landing a hit on him, and the Gobantai Taichou hurriedly clapped his hand over the bottom half of his face to stopper the blood flow.

Hiyori landed lightly back on her feet, looking very pleased with her new discovery. "I'm startin' to see why Lisa prefers to fight in a skirt; there're no restrictions at all. It's better than my tracksuit!"

Shinji was horrified. "You can't be serious," he blurted out, but he was promptly ignored. Hiyori's catlike eyes were already gleaming with impending mischief, a fanged smirk playing on her face.

"Time for a field test!" And by 'field test' she meant to run off to find some poor, unsuspecting thugs to beat up. Shinji quickly recovered enough from his dismay to lunge forward and grab her before she could disappear on him.

"You can't fight like this!" he told her quickly, intent to rid her of the notion before it could fully take root in her mind.

"Why not?" she demanded, trying to shove him away as she did so. "I just showed ya, didn't I? I can still kick very well; don't try your luck with me, baldy!"

"Don't kick at all!" he snapped, snaking an arm firmly around her middle to keep her from wriggling out of his hold. "You shouldn't be kicking in a skirt, stupid!"

"Don't tell me what I can or cannot do, shithead!"

"You're gonna give all of your opponents a free show!" he interjected, visibly irritated that he had to point it out to her.

"So?" Annoyingly enough, she was a lot less concerned over the issue than he would have expected. "It's just panties."

"Just panties-" he broke off in disbelief. Then, his golden eyes narrowed. "Alright, _that's it_. No skirts for you until you are mentally mature enough to handle it. Where the hell's your tracksuit?"

She was putting up one hell of a fight though – by now, it was no longer about the stupid clothes but more the principle of the matter.

"Hage Shinji!" she barked angrily, baring her little fang as she did so. "I'm tellin' ya, lemme go right now or you're gonna get it!"

"No, thanks. I'm ignorin' ya," he muttered back, keeping a firm hold on her and dodging her attempts to hit him as he did so. "You're not walking around lookin' like that."

Hiyori was immediately pissed.

"What's wrong with that, huh?" she demanded, at the same time trying her best to dig her sharp elbows into his unprotected sides. "You think I can't look cute and pretty?!"

He paused in their struggles to look at her in disbelief. "Are you kiddin' me?" he asked incredulously, and before she could take offense to that, he continued. "You are already plenty cute and pretty, brat. The last thing I need is for every perv out there to realize that as well, so be a good girl and don't give me anymore heart attacks."

His casual, completely unashamed, matter-of-fact statement hit her like a wet salmon to the face. Her eyes widened and she looked at him briefly in shock before she quickly recovered herself. As usual, Hiyori reacted in the only way that she knew how in such a situation. She wasted no time socking him right in the face. His head snapped back from the harsh impact (she _never_ pulled her punches), and swearing, his hand immediately went up to nurse his poor nose.

"Don't treat me like one of yer bimbos!" she growled at him, though the beginnings of a flush started to spread across her cute, freckled cheeks. She shoved him away, then crossed her arms before her chest and stuck her nose in the air disdainfully.

"I don't have any bimbos," he gritted out, scowling at her. "However, what I do have is one bad-tempered little A-cup chibi whose going to get her behind tanned very soon if she continues to insist on being stubborn."

She whirled on him quickly, her face reddening further. "So what if I'm a bad-tempered little A-cup chibi?! That just means I'm spirited, cute and fun-sized! Lots of guys love that!" She stuck out her tongue at him. Quick as lightning, he reached out, grabbed her, and sealed her mouth with his. He moved so swiftly that she barely had time to react. He kissed her, hard.

"Yes, given the opportunity, guys will love you," he spoke harshly against her mouth after a breathless eternity, his fierce golden eyes locked with her dazed ones. "But you are mine, brat, and if you think that I'm gonna let you run around flashing your underwear to all and sundry, something is wrong with your head. So, as much as I do appreciate seeing you all cute and girly like this, that dress is coming off until you're willing to behave more ladylike."

She immediately bristled with offense, but he simply continued. "I love ya, Snaggletooth. You can be wearin' a potato sack and I'll still want ya," he purred softly, persuasively in her ear, and she shivered, defenseless against the feel of his hot breath against her sensitive skin.

"Shinji…" she whispered, her beautiful, feline eyes darkening, turning her face towards his and nuzzling his cheek.

Sensing victory, he relented slightly, and then-

"GO TO HELL!" the little hellion suddenly bellowed right in his ear, and she did it so loudly that he was sure that she had deafened him. He could hear nothing but dull ringing for the next few seconds, and she had startled him so much that he let go of her.

Hiyori immediately took the opportunity to take off, scowling as she did so. The nerve of the dumbass baldy – to tell her that she wasn't ladylike enough (even though that was somewhat true) to pull off wearing that dress and then to try to seduce her out of it-

She was suddenly tackled from behind and wrestled to the ground. Screeching, she rolled onto her back to see her stupid lover straddling her determinedly and pinning her to the floor. The petite blonde turned bright red.

"YOU ARE DEAD! HIRAKO SHINJI!"

He wasn't impressed by her yelling.

"That was a low blow, brat," he muttered, barely resisting the urge to rub at his aching ear. However, he was too used to her various forms of abuse to be completely incapacitated anymore, and besides, using anything less than his entire concentration to subdue Hiyori when she was being so feisty was tantamount to suicide.

"LOW BLOW?! I WILL SHOW YOU LOW BLOW, YOU-"

He blocked her attempts to kick him between the legs and then caught her flailing arms with one large, long-fingered hand before holding them down up over her head. "No hitting below the belt, you little spitfire. If you're not gonna listen to reason, then I have no choice but 'ta use force. Either way, that kimono is coming off by hook or by crook. I'm serious; you're not running around picking fights dressed like that."

"Fuck you!" she blustered, glaring at him, but he just took it in stride.

"We can do that too later, if that's what you want," he responded easily even as his hand reached towards her obi and started to undo the intricate knot at her back. Hiyori was squawking like an indignant hen now only for her protests to be ignored. "This dress looks like it's better suited for lovin' than for actual battle, anyway."

But Hiyori was not going down so easily. She struggled fiercely, plenty of fight encased in that small body of hers. She could care less about the stupid dress, but she hardly appreciated stupid Shinji sticking his nose into her affairs and dictating her life. He had been doing more of that lately and she had been chafing at his highhandedness, grumpy, fiercely independent spirit that she was. Just because they were sort of together now did not mean he got to have a say in everything she did – if she ever felt like streaking through Karakura town or even Soul Society, she would do it and nothing he said would matter, and that was that.

"I'm goin' 'ta kill you, Shinji!"

She was yelling bloody murder when he finally wrested the ties of the kimono off of her singlehandedly, squirming madly like a landed fish under him even as he triumphantly held aloft his prize.

It was then, when the doors of the warehouse creaked open.

Mashiro, Kensei and Rose stood in the doorway, blankly surveying the scene before them. For the briefest of seconds, the three Shinigami just looked plain astonished to see the pair of lovers just as the latter duo were to see them. Then, that moment was immediately gone as the Kyuubantai Taichou promptly slapped his large hand over his Lieutenant's wide eyes. "Oh, for god's sake," Kensei muttered with disbelief. "Can you two not do this in such publicly accessible places?"

At least now they all knew why Shinji had been in such a hurry to leave Seireitei for the Living Realm.

"Kensei, you meanie! I wanna see!" Mashiro whined.

It suddenly occurred to the Fifth Division Captain just how this looked to his colleagues. "Wait a minute here, we are not-"

"Don't just stand there and watch!" Hiyori bellowed at the other Vizards then. "Help me! Ero-Shinji's been trying to get me out of my clothes ever since he got his perverted hands on me!"

"Ero-Shinji-" the disbelieving Hirako cut himself off as he looked at the minx that he was holding under him. Her hair was falling out of her pigtails as a result of their struggles and the fact that her unsecured kimono was sliding off one bare shoulder in complete disarray did not help his case any. He was also still holding her obi in his hand, in full view of the others, and really, that was as much as they wanted to know about the entire matter.

"We are leaving, Mashiro," Kensei grumbled above the din of his Fukutaichou's complaints even as he shot Shinji a significantly dirty look over her head. "Didn't you say that you wanted to check out the matsuri from earlier? Let's go." With that said, he backed out of the building and dragged the green-haired female along with him, leaving Rose to eye the golden-haired couple briefly, his thin lips twitching slightly in mild amusement.

"Shinji," the tall blonde remarked sedately at last. "Hiyori has a delicate build, so you shouldn't be too rough with her." Shinji sputtered at that, turning a dull red. "Well, I'll let you two have your fun now." The Sanbantai Taichou very politely excused himself and vacated the premises, leaving the lovebirds to their devices.

A very chagrinned Shinji was still gawking at the gently shut door in incredulity when he eventually noticed the lack of resistance from Hiyori. Mildly surprised by her sudden docility, he glanced down and quickly saw why she was being so quiet. Lying under him, the petite blonde was biting her lips hard as she struggled not to make a sound, her face red from her efforts and her shoulders shaking as she all but cried with mirth. Irritation inundated him when he abruptly realized what she had done.

"You purposely set me up, didn't you?" he demanded, and she finally lost it. Throwing her head back, she burst into honest gales of hilarity, the sound of her amusement both loud and genuine as she laughed herself sick.

"Hage Shinji-!" she gasped out after a while. "That stupid look on your face-!" She could not go on any further than that, because it was so funny that she erupted into another braying round of laughter just thinking of it.

Shinji was extremely unamused. "I hope you are happy, brat. They all think that I'm some sort of violent sexual deviant now. The entire Gotei 13 will probably hear of this by tomorrow evening, if Mashiro's mouth is anything to go by."

Hiyori continued to giggle madly. "So. Totally. Worth it!" she puffed out, still cackling, and he narrowed his eyes at her, but she just kept right on laughing unrepentantly at him.

Shinji gave up. It wasn't as if he could do anything about the impending rumors now. Loosening his hold on her hands – she was no longer furious or trying to escape him for one – the exasperated Gobantai Taichou just fell forward and let himself slump over his ridiculously mischievous lover, propping his chin over her bare shoulder and groaning aloud.

"You little imp," he muttered exasperatedly into her skin – she was still vibrating with laughter. "Why do I put up with you?"

"Because you are a pervert, Ero-Shinji. That's why," she told him after a while, obviously deeply amused by the entire debacle, and he lifted his head to give her an annoyed look.

"A pervert, am I?" he muttered disgruntledly. To hell with it. "Since that's what you think, I might as well go for broke, eh?"

Hiyori's mirth started to fade away when she noted the particular glint in his eyes. "Are? What are you doing, baldy…?"

His hands had found their way under the lapels of her kimono, and then he was peeling the silk material right off of her body. "I'm fulfilling your expectations," he told her, his callused fingertips running over the soft skin of her stomach and making her shiver.

"If a pervert is what you want, then a pervert is what you'll get, brat."

Hiyori's eyes widened with trepidation. He was serious.

_Uh-oh. _

"H-Hey, S-Shinji! W-Wait!"

"Too late," he murmured flatly, tugging the bodice of her dress right down to her waist and brushing his lips against her neck. His hand crept up the insides of her thigh, long masculine fingers curling possessively over the sensitive skin there. Her breath hitched.

"Be quiet; this perv's not gonna listen to whatever you say, so just enjoy the ride."

* * *

**Omake**

"I changed my mind," Shinji announced out of the blue a couple of hours later, rolling onto his side to look at Hiyori. Less than an arm's length away from him, the petite blonde was curled up in the corner of the bed, his discarded haori wrapped snugly around her, looking very much like a contented little cat right at that moment, her glowing ochre eyes all sleepy and relaxed. He had the strongest urge to reach over and cuddle her, but refrained from doing so since his brat was only still slowly getting used to the notion of receiving affection from him after their bouts of lovemaking, and was prone to being skittish and defensive if he moved too quickly.

Never mind. He was willing to wait and bide his time. She would come to lay with him willingly soon enough.

For now, she seemed to be paying attention to him though, and so he continued. "I think I quite like that dress of yours, after all. You should wear it more often."

Hiyori was slightly taken aback by his complete turnabout in opinion. He was also being overly cheerful in the creepy way that was making her hackles rise. Her suspicious nature very quickly kicked in. With Shinji, there was always a catch – she just needed to find it. "Why?"

He shrugged lazily at her, looking deceptively innocent as he did so. "Oh, you know. It's as you said; it's a marked improvement from your usual attire, which is completely hideous, you have to admit. That new dress also makes access to you so much…easier, and it's nice and short, to boot. I've decided that I like it quite a lot."

She was immediately puffing up with indignation, the earlier languid quality in her satisfied body disappearing quickly. "What's wrong with my tracksuit?" she demanded, sitting up to tower over him, frowning in affront. She seemed to have forgotten that she was only wearing his haori in her irritation, and the material quickly gaped open, earning him an eyeful, not that he was complaining. It took effort, but he continued to meet her challenging stare with a deliberate, meditative calm. His nonchalant composure in the face of her increasing agitation always irritated her for some reason or another, and he was not above using it against her.

"It's ugly as sin," he commented with a casual shrug that seemed to set her off, judging by the irate flare in her eyes. "You do look so much cuter in that dress."

She scowled. "My tracksuit's not ugly. I love it and I don't care what you think." She paused, glowered some more, and then looked at him with haughty disdain. "And you're wrong. I'm cute in everythin'. You're lucky to have me."

It was good to know that her ego was as healthy as ever. Instead of being exasperated by it, he was just amused. Besides, she wasn't wrong – he found her utterly adorable.

"And you're just perving on me, aren't ya," she continued, sounding disgruntled. She gave him a sharp glare. "Ero-Shinji."

He gave her a mild look in return, unbothered by her accusation. "You are mine, brat. Who else should I perv on if not you?" Then, he deliberately stretched out across the bed sheets like a large, lazy feline, the sleek, sinewy muscles of his lean, rangy form rippling with his languid movement. Her eyes tracked his nude body automatically, and she licked her lips, flustered. He grinned shamelessly, pleased by her reaction.

"You were sayin', darlin'?" he drawled, and she flushed. Her stubborn nature ensured that she would not back down however, and sure enough, she took a short moment to take stock of herself and was very quickly throwing herself back into the argument once more, intent to win against him.

"Well, I'm gonna keep wearin' my tracksuit," she informed him defiantly. "And there's nothin' you can do 'bout it."

She sounded like she was very determined to keep her word too, and he smirked slightly. His brat was such a contrary little thing, and reverse psychology always worked on her like a charm. He hoped that she never found out what he was up to though, or there would be hell to pay.

"That's a pity," he purred then, his golden eyes gleaming with indulgent amusement. Reaching up leisurely, he snagged the lapels of his haori and pulled her down to his level, bending his golden head against the side of her exposed shoulder and laying a slow, deliberate kiss there, smiling inwardly when he felt her quiver lightly in response.

"But I'm sure I'll find other ways to perv on ya, my Hiyori."

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

…and here's the final part to this triple shot! I dearly hope that some of you enjoyed this little miniseries – I certainly had a lot of fun writing it!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Erm, yes, so in case some of you didn't get the point of the omake, the reason why Hiyori isn't running around kicking ass in a dress (and flashing her panties to all the poor/lucky fellas whose asses are being kicked) is because Shinji tricked her out of wearing it. It's kind of crafty and manipulative of him, but hey, a guy's got to do what a guy's got to do, and I don't think the world is quite ready to take on a miniskirt-wearing Hiyori yet, haha.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Also, notice how Hiyori is always giving Shinji nosebleeds in the series? Well, now she has another new way to do it!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

For those who are curious to know what a 'butterfly twist' looks like, I have attached a link (under the 'Extras' heading) on my profile page. Feel free to take a look!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

FYI, Takoyaki, Yakitori and Ikayaki are all traditional Japanese street foods. I highly recommend trying them if you have the opportunity to do so – they are super yummy.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Oh man, I'm just so happy to hear from the ShiYori readers. You guys just make my day so much and I don't feel so alone in my feels, haha. As always, thanks for faving, thanks for following, and thanks for reading!

(Oh, and thanks for all the lovely reviews too, of course! =D)

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 1697

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 20/07/13

**Completed on:** 21/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 02/08/13

* * *

**You're Beautiful**

* * *

Hiyori frowned at the vast array of bottles, tubes, and cans spread before her. There was everything ranging from cologne to aftershave, and the hair products alone took up an entire section on their own. The blonde didn't even understand the meaning of half of what she was looking at – hair mousse, scalp treatments, leave-in conditioner, hair serums, _huh?_ – and therefore it was not surprising that she was terribly unamused to have to deal with the lot of mysterious items on her watch.

It was the Annual Spring Cleaning Weekend in the Vizards' Warehouse, and even though there were only half of them left, there were still eight bedrooms to clean out, not to mention the common living areas. The other four reinstated Shinigami still returned every once in a while to visit, after all, and they still used their old bedrooms whenever they stayed over in the Living World.

Not surprisingly, Hiyori had been saddled with the responsibility of taking care of her own room and that of Shinji's – by now, the entirety of the Vizards were aware of their budding relationship, and, much to her displeasure, it seemed that everyone was turning to her by default when there was something to do with the baldy. What was she, his mother? Granted, Hachi, Lisa and Love also had their equal share of work to do, but now, as the pigtailed blonde stared at the bewildering assortment of grooming products that sat on Shinji's dressing table, she wondered if she should have protested harder during the individual jobs assignment earlier.

A small vein ticked on Hiyori's forehead. That stupid baldy; even when he wasn't around, he was still giving her problems. Scowling, the petite female quickly started to move the many odds and ends off of the table and onto the bed instead. She was wearing a bandana over her hair and also had a cleaning apron laid over her tracksuit as she went about sweeping, dusting and mopping her designated areas, and she swiftly made deft work of airing out Shinji's bedroom. The young woman made an annoyed face as she rearranged his stuff back into its proper arrangement after that. Her lover was so narcissistic about his appearance and so utterly fastidious about his grooming habits that there was a period of time where she had suspected that he played for the other team, though that had turned out to be untrue, as evidenced by recent events.

Hirako Shinji was just extremely vain, and since he had always been so even back when they were all living in Seireitei – that lengthy sheet of silky, flowing golden hair that he had taken such great pains to grow out had been proof – he also probably invented the term metrosexual. To give him credit, his hair was a lot less ridiculous looking these days; she had never thought that he looked good with long hair – it made him seem way too effeminate for her tastes – but it was obvious that he was compensating for the length by lavishing an unbelievable amount of care to each individual blonde strand.

Hiyori wrinkled her nose in protest when she took a curious whiff of one of the bottles and was immediately overwhelmed by the strong, cloying scent. Quickly recapping the container of chemicals, she scowled and returned it to its rightful place on his dresser. She could not comprehend how he could stand going through all these pointless daily routines for the sake of his appearance when they were hardly even necessary – he was one of those disgustingly good looking people with chiseled cheekbones and a flawless complexion and she didn't even understand why he had to try.

The disgruntled blonde felt personally affronted by her other half's physical perfection then, and her scowl deepened. "Stupid pretty men and their stupid pretty faces," she muttered darkly. "I hope you go bald soon, hage Shinji!"

"You know, it's not nice to curse people behind their backs." A dry, familiar voice sounded behind her then, causing her to jump a couple of feet in surprise. "Whatever have I done to incur your displeasure this time, brat?"

Lounging casually against the doorframe was said physically perfect other half in his usual physically perfect glory, not a strand of hair out of place as he watched her with terribly amused golden eyes, his Captain's uniform settling over his lean, rangy frame in neat lines that complimented his elegant form.

Hiyori swore loudly. "Shiiiit! Shinji! What the hell are ya doing here!" she demanded, her heart pounding in her chest from the scare. She had thought that she was alone in this part of the warehouse and was hardly expecting anyone to drop in on her.

He gave her a droll look. "You forgot, didn't you?"

"Forgot what?" she snapped back, irritated.

"I told you a few days ago that I was gonna visit, remember now?"

She did not remember any such thing, actually, but that was normal. She did recall speaking to him over the phone a few days back, so it was very likely that he had mentioned something to that effect. "I didn't pay attention. You were nattering on and on so much that I stopped listening midway through."

He gave her a mildly chiding look at her awfully honest reply, finally pushing away from the doorframe and lazily sauntering in. "Good to know that you are such an attentive girlfriend, as always."

She scowled at him. "I'm stuck cleaning your stupid bedroom, aren't I?" she retorted irritably, and he eyed her charmingly domestic attire. As usual, she was the cutest when she was all riled up and disgruntled.

"Right. S'that time of the year again," he drawled with perfect nonchalance, and her eyebrow twitched. Was he purposely trying to aggravate her?

Shinji brushed past her surly form to sit on the bed. Then, he reached for her and tugged her towards him. She resisted bullishly but was moved to stand before him all the same. Despite her protests, he took her cleaning supplies off of her hands, divested her of her apron and bandana, and then set them all aside.

"Now, what's got you so infuriated today, brat?" he asked patiently, his large hands resting on the slight curve of her girlish hips and easily spanning her tiny waist, his fingers absently stroking the sliver of soft skin that peeked out from between her tank top and track pants. She frowned at him, but it was somehow hard to maintain her level of annoyance when he was caressing her like that.

"You piss me off," she announced sourly then, and his brow slowly lifted. Shinji was not at all upset or surprised by her hostile answer, though. She had always been high strung, and much to his exasperated amusement, he had been known to offend her in the past just by breathing. Still, the nature of their relationship was slowly improving; she was just a little less likely to be physically violent towards him in her demonstration of displeasure, and he was learning that his touch seemed to calm her down, a discovery that he was more than happy to make use of now that he had every right to do so.

"Alright," he accepted simply. "May I know what I have done to somehow piss you off this time? At least give me something to work with here."

Her scowl deepened, and she tensed. He nudged her nearer to stand between his legs, his arm curling around her small waist as he drew her close, soothing her agitation with his physical presence. It took a while before she finally replied.

"You're too frickin' pretty," she finally mumbled under her breath then, and judging by the way she sounded none too pleased by it, he had to assume that it wasn't a compliment. He had to ask her to repeat her sentence just to be sure that he had heard correctly, and when she irritably growled out the same answer to him, he could not help but smile inwardly.

Well. This was new.

"I think I prefer the term 'handsome,' brat. And I do apologize for being such a heartthrob," he managed to utter at last with a completely straight face. Showing any obvious signs of amusement now would just earn him a bloodied nose amongst other assorted injuries to his person. "I can't do anything about my irresistible good looks, though. Ya know, most women would be happy 'ta have a good lookin' lover."

She glowered at him. "I only said that you were pretty. Don't go and add more words 'ta praise yourself, dumbass." She paused, and then grumpily continued. "And I have no need for a good lookin' lover."

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry but you're stuck with me regardless of your opinion on my physical appearance. Don't worry, though. I've been told that I'm pretty useful to have 'round, and I can also give ya some pretty adorable kids, to boot."

Hiyori was glaring at him again now, bristling with affront again. "You make it sound like I'm completely hideous," she snapped, ignoring his little quip about future progeny, though she could feel her face warm with her fluster, damn him. Shinji was hardly fazed by her defensive prickliness, though.

"Hiyori, Hiyori," he sighed, exasperated fondness in his tone. "Now you're just bein' silly."

Caressing her small, impish face with his fingers, he cupped her cheeks with long, narrow hands and leaned in, kissing her slowly and very thoroughly. His mouth moved against hers with deliberate sensuality and unbidden affection, his tongue brushing lightly against her parted lips with teasing desire, as always, leaving her dazed and breathless, her knees going weak, her heart pounding in her chest. Her bad mood immediately disappeared like grey fog evaporating under the searing heat of the bright sun. Liquid warmth shot through her insides and pumped through her veins, and her catlike ochre eyes were simply mesmerizing in their intensity as they focused sharply on him, the expressive depths glowing with subtle need.

Shinji pulled back slightly and admired the exquisitely lovely sight that she presented.

"_You are utterly beautiful to me_."

* * *

**Omake**

Shinji slowly ran his long fingers through Hiyori's hair. Her light blonde tresses were let out of their customary pigtails and the thick, unruly mess fell to her chin, framing her face and getting into her eyes. She was sitting on the floor between his legs, her back resting against the mattress he was sitting on, visibly fidgeting and her body language tense, signaling to him her level of discomfort to be in her current position. She had always been particularly defensive of people touching her hair, and it had taken him a while to convince her to let him put his hands on the soft, fluffy mass.

"You cut your own hair, didn't you?" he observed critically, eying the choppy length of flaxen gold that he had spread over his palm. The uneven ends were even more obvious now that she had let her hair down. She stiffened slightly.

"Yeah," she admitted grudgingly. "I don't like it when it's too long. It gets all over the place and it's annoying."

A foreboding feeling inundated him at her flippant statement. "Don't tell me you just use Kubikiri Orochi to saw off the ends." He sounded horrified by his realization.

Hiyori shrugged carelessly, apparently unconcerned. "It's just hair."

Indeed it was. Hers was thick and had a very slight, natural wave, untainted by chemicals or any of the harsh, unnatural hair treatments that were so popular in the Living World. Despite its deceptively bristly appearance whenever she had it up in pigtails, it was very soft and feathery to the touch, and she seemed to gradually relax as he continued to work his fingers through the strands, slowly untangling any stubborn knots that he found along the way.

"You're a girl, brat," he reminded her after a while, sighing as he did so. "Aren't most girls supposed ta' be conscious 'bout their appearance?"

She snorted. "You're girly enough for the both of us," she retorted. "If I have ta' take the effort to be half as vain as you are, I won't have time for anything else."

He ignored her jab at him and continued to stroke her hair, grabbing a brush from his dresser as he did so to help tame her short tresses. She calmed further under his soothing, repetitive ministrations, and eventually she was lulled into a sleepy state. Draping her arm over his knee, her head slowly drooped down and she ended up resting her cheek against his thigh, her feline eyes at a lazy half-mast as she enjoyed the feel of his blunt nails scratching lightly against her scalp. It felt really good to be tended to by him, and a soft, languid purr escaped her. He chuckled softly; she was like putty in his hands.

"You're really enjoying this," he commented over her head, his low timbre rich with amusement. Luckily for him, she was feeling too lethargic at the moment to take issue with his tone.

"You've missed your calling as a hairstylist and a masseuse, hage Shinji," Hiyori murmured drowsily, content to remain where she was under his care.

"Yeah, well, I'm only willin' 'ta work for a really exclusive client, and she gives awfully lousy tips," he teased. "I'll just stick to my day job as a lowly Shinigami Taichou, thank you very much."

Sure enough, she reacted to his comment, tipping her head backwards to look into his eyes. "What do ya mean, 'lousy tips?'" she demanded. "Just what sorta tips are ya looking for, anyway?"

Setting the brush aside, he leaned down and brushed his mouth against her cheek, right over where her freckles were. She froze, startled. "This will do for now," he murmured, and then, taking advantage of her surprise, he kissed the side of her mouth as well. As always, his unhesitating displays of affection both pleased and rattled her at the same time.

"Shinji!" she protested halfheartedly, and he drew back to look at her. Her fluffy hair was tamed for now, and it fell around her face in slightly tousled layers and brought out the softness of her features, usually well hidden by her prickly demeanor and hardnosed attitude.

"Grow out your hair a little more," he told her then, his hand reaching out to catch a flaxen lock and tugging gently at it. "I liked it more when it was longer."

'Hell no' was at the tip of her tongue, followed closely by 'Screw you.' But she was weak to that affectionate look in his eyes, that particular expression that made her feel like she was something precious to him, that Sarugaki Hiyori was someone beloved, and the words she originally meant to say would not come out.

"Only if you brush out my hair whenever I want you to," she ended up blurting out instead, and even though she was immediately irritated with herself for automatically folding to his wishes so easily, there was no denying that he took very good care of her needs.

"Deal," he agreed with an easy grin. "You're weak to people touching your hair, huh?"

_I'm just weak to you_, she thought irritably, though she knew better than to voice it. His insufferable ego was already big enough; there was no need to make it even worse.

"Stupid baldy," she muttered disgruntledly. "You're turnin' me into a girl."

"This may come as a complete surprise to you, brat, but you _are_ a girl," he reminded her drolly.

"You're also _my_ girl, so that means you're gonna be extra loved and pampered, even if you kick and scream 'bout it the entire while. Now, aren't ya lucky?"

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Yeah, I feel that Shinji's something of a vainpot, and you can really tell by the amount of care and attention he puts into his attire and hairstyle in the series. Not to mention, in a 'Turn Back the Pendulum' outtake by Kubo, he was clearly very concerned about his hair and was more interested in going home to condition it (and then have his beauty sleep) than having a night out in a karaoke bar with the other Shinigami, haha.

Headcanon: He definitely has all sorts of grooming products lining his dresser, I tell you! (And those in his bedroom in the Vizard Warehouse are just part of his spare, emergency stash – the main hoard is back in Seireitei, but that's another story for another time, haha.)

…That's why Hiyori is such a good match for him – he needs a significant other who doesn't give a damn about such things and is hardly intimidated (or impressed) by the fact that he's so much more knowledgeable about personal grooming than any normal man should. Besides, somebody has to give up their dresser space (what with Shinji taking up most of it), and it's just as well that Hiyori's an au naturel kind of girl.

Don't feel too bad for her though; Shinji's always trying to groom her and I bet he also gives the best head rubs ever – just look at those long, elegant fingers!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Erm, the rest of this chapter is pretty much self-explanatory, so I don't think there's much to point out – I will leave it like this for now.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Also, I believe that there's a slight miscommunication with some of the readers that I need to clarify.

'Lily and Thistle' is M-rated (and I know that I have also very shamelessly declared that it is meant to be a ShiYori smut fic) but that doesn't mean that this series will just purely consist of endless sex scenes (that will get old very quickly, trust me). Basically, there will be different scenarios for the various one-shots/miniseries, so long story short, I promise that there will be smut coming your way every few chapters (there will be one next installment, in fact – FYI for those with a really burning need to know, ahahaha), but since this is not a PWP type of fic (there is a plot somewhere, I assure you), just be aware that you will not always be reading smut every chapter – just letting you guys know this first.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

And, and, AND! I'm very excited and pleased to announce that 'Lily and Thistle' has just received its very first fanart! The wonderful Mic-RNOL-Mik has created a very, very cute piece for the previous miniseries, 'The Empress' New Clothes.' I already have the link up on my profile page (under the 'Fanarts' heading), so go check it out! It's really adorable and I'm still gushing over it! =)

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Last but not least, thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3985

**Rating: **M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older) **SMUT WARNING!**

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 22/07/13

**Completed on:** 22/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 07/08/13

* * *

**Got Milk?**

* * *

When Yoruichi very casually reached over to Hiyori and cupped the younger girl's chest in her palms, everyone in the immediate vicinity froze and goggled. The Goddess of Flash proceeded to squeeze the smaller blonde's very modest bosom experimentally a couple of times, looking very calm and unimpressed as she did so.

"You are still as flat as ever, Hiyori-chan," the purple-haired female announced at last, her features deadpan. "Why is that so?"

Hiyori just blinked at her training partner and comrade. She appeared remarkably composed and unbothered for someone who was being molested. "Yoruichi, we're in 'ta middle of a spar right now! Can't we do this later?"

Shinji, who had been observing the mock battle at the edge of the vast training ground of the Urahara Shoten (and briefly gawking in surprise alongside with Kisuke), was on hand almost immediately, phasing before the women with rather impressive speed.

"Goddammit, Yoruichi!" the golden-haired male snapped as he swiftly pulled Hiyori out of reach of her perverted, grabby hands. "Don't do that!"

Yoruichi cocked her head at the irritated Fifth Division Captain. "Why not?" she asked with casual indifference. "It's not the first time, anyway."

"Not the first time-" Shinji broke off, looking even more flustered now. He was also drawing his lover to him rather protectively. "Just how often have ya been groping my Hiyori?! From now on, you're not allowed to touch her without my permission!"

Not surprisingly, Hiyori quickly took offense to being treated like some piece of property. Several long seconds of awful, bone crunching violence later, the powerful and suave Gobantai Taichou was nursing what looked like a broken and bleeding nose as well as a terribly bruised shin as he quaked in pain beside his terribly nonchalant Hiyori.

The feline shape shifter flicked a disinterested glance at the poor man – it was somehow reassuring to see that some things were still the same no matter how everything else had changed.

"So we're not fightin' anymore?" Hiyori asked the other female.

She sounded a bit put out; it was always good to spar with someone stronger since she had quite recently begun to train in secret to achieve Bankai. Her near death experience with Ichimaru Gin had taught her a very valuable lesson – she was not strong enough yet, she still needed to grow and advance further in terms of her abilities and maturity so as not to burden the people around her. That _look_ on Shinji's face when she had been brutally cut down by the fox-faced traitor still haunted her dreams, and Hiyori resolved never to be the cause of such trauma to the man she loved ever again.

Yoruichi arched her brow. "Your lover's here all the way from Soul Society and you're more interested in sparring with me than in going off to canoodle with him?" The golden-eyed female turned to look at Shinji skeptically.

"Huh. That explains why there's no development whatsoever, Hiyori-chan. That simply will not do," Yoruichi tsked, reaching out to fondle the blonde's chest again. "Hiyori-chan, you're a woman now; your cute little breasts won't sprout on their own if your man isn't massaging them properly for you. Oi, Shinji, are you watching?"

Now, Shinji's nose was dripping with blood for an entirely different reason. He sputtered unintelligibly.

"I'd have thought that you'd know of such things, Shinji," Yoruichi commented blithely. "Poor Hiyori-chan."

Hiyori appeared slightly intrigued by the information. Eying the shape shifter's own impressive assets, she asked, "S'that how you got those, Yoruichi?"

"Why! Of course!" the dark-skinned female winked at her other half, who unfurled his fan and was smiling rather creepily behind it. "Kisuke was _very_ helpful."

"Ara, ara, Yoruichi," her lover drawled then, seamlessly tag-teaming and joining in on the joke with the playful woman. "Shinji might prefer Hiyori-san as she is now, you know."

"Eh? Shinji, you don't like breasts? You prefer more…childlike women?" the purple-haired shape shifter enquired innocuously. Now, even Hiyori was watching him narrowly, and Shinji swallowed hard. His life was literally hanging in the balance right now. It was a while before he spoke.

"I'm abstainin' from this question," he croaked out at last. "There's no correct answer; either choice is detrimental to my physical health, reputation and relationship. I'll take Hiyori however she'd like me 'ta."

"That's a pretty sly reply," the cat woman remarked rather neutrally, though her eyes were gleaming with unholy glee. Shinji inwardly cursed her to hell and back for putting him in such a difficult position. "Hiyori-chan, I can see why you are unsatisfied; Shinji's obviously such an ambiguous lover. Are the both of you even doing it properly? Or is Shinji doing things upside down again?" By now, Yoruichi was not only fondling Hiyori, but also drawing the smaller woman to her own bosom and cuddling the pigtailed blonde, who was strangely docile and appeared unusually passive as she remained contentedly in the older woman's arms, much to Shinji's outrage and jealousy.

There was something about Yoruichi that reminded Hiyori a bit of her beloved Hikifune Taichou, and it also helped that the purple-haired shape shifter seemed to be very affectionate towards the younger female as well. As such, they had always had a pretty good relationship, which was why Hiyori never really minded whenever Yoruichi included her in the latter's many little schemes to cause discomfort and embarrass the people around her – not to mention, hage Shinji was certainly looking quite mortified and agitated right now, which was always a good thing in her book.

The petite blonde shrugged. "I don't know. We don't do it all ta' time. S'okay, I 'spose. S'not like I have other experiences ta' compare him with."

This time, both Kisuke and Yoruichi were looking at Shinji with arched disappointment, much to his increasing chagrin. "_Hiyori_! There'll be no other experiences whatsoever!"

"Shinji rated only an 'okay,' Hiyori-chan?" Yoruichi questioned with mock dismay. "That's no good! Shinji, do you need lessons on how to please a woman? Kisuke can give you some pointers if you require them."

"I'll be glad to be of service," the bucket hat wearing Urahara quipped with a perfectly straight face. "Anything to help Shinji become more than average in Hiyori-san's regard."

"I don't need any lessons," the Fifth Division Captain gritted out, his face unusually flushed now. They were going to be the death of him; he should have known that the other two ex-Captains were not going to let him off so easily once they learned that both he and Hiyori had finally gotten together.

"It's alright, my poor little Hiyori-chan!" Yoruichi smooshed the smaller blonde to her abundant breasts, much to the latter's twitch of surprise. "Yoruichi has your back. If you're lonely and feel like Shinji's not giving you enough lovin', come to me! I'll teach you how to fully appreciate the splendor of a woman's lush, magnificent body!"

"No, that's definitely _not_ alright at all!" Shinji finally recovered from his spluttering embarrassment and quickly moved forward, deftly freeing his bemused lover from the devil woman's clutches. "Don't teach Hiyori any unnecessary things, Yoruichi!"

The cat woman had the gall to shrug nonchalantly. "Well, somebody has to teach Hiyori-chan something. We can't just let the poor dear put up with mediocre sex." Choking in disbelief, Shinji turned a bright shade of red at that not-so-subtle jab. "And besides, if you're not going to help stimulate Hiyori-chan's physical growth-" The purple-haired Shihouin gestured vaguely to her own impressive bust. "-I'll be more than happy to do so on your behalf! Hiyori-chan is so cute and cuddly anyway; I'd love to fondle her more." Yoruichi made as if to reach out for the petite blonde once more, but Shinji quickly drew his brat back, retreating zealously from the smirking female. A chuckling Kisuke came up to stand beside her.

"I'll worry about the development of Hiyori's chest myself, thank you very much," the Gobantai Taichou muttered. "Right now, in fact. Come, brat; we're leaving."

"Don't tell me what 'ta do, baldy!" his disagreeable significant other grumbled grouchily. "I came here 'ta train, not be dragged about the place like some ragdoll- _Shinji_!"

He had grown impatient of her resistance and simply picked her up over his shoulder like a sack of rice, prompting her shout of displeasure. "Quiet, Hiyori. Your unnecessary input will be ignored. My fragile pride as a man and as your lover is at stake here; until you're screaming my name to the heavens in praise and worship, anything else you say will be promptly disregarded."

"That's the spirit, Shinji!" Yoruichi cheered.

Hiyori was already screaming, alright. "HIRAKO SHINJI! IF YOU DON'T LEMME DOWN RIGHT NOW, KUBIKIRI OROCHI IS GOING STRAIGHT UP YOUR ASS, I SWEAR TO GOD!"

The Fifth Division Captain wrested his lover's sword from her before she could make good on her threat to kancho him with the zanpakuto. Pinching her backside sharply in retaliation and eliciting an undignified squawk from her, he warned, "You're gonna get a spanking if ya keep this up, brat."

Hiyori screeched bloody murder.

Kisuke exchanged an amused glance with Yoruichi. "Those two sure have an interesting definition of foreplay," he commented, and the purple-haired female snorted.

"Are you sure you don't need an instruction manual, Shinji?!" the cat woman hollered after the retreating couple. "We made a Chappy-illustrated version for the other idiot/chibi pair, but you can borrow it if you want to!"

"Shut up, Yoruichi!" Shinji yelled back to the backdrop of Hiyori's howls of displeasure. The pair's bickering could be heard fading quickly into the distance.

Yoruichi grinned to herself, pleased at a job well done. "Now, that's the way a reunion between lovers should look!"

Kisuke lifted his brow. "Like they're going to kill each other? Because that's what it looks like to me."

The purple-haired female gave the bucket hat wearing blonde an exasperated look.

"It's passion! _Passion_! You know, that romantic flying embrace between couples who haven't seen each other in forever?"

"I'm pretty sure that Shinji just dropped by last week, though," Kisuke remarked. Not to mention, there was nothing remotely romantic about the way the Gobantai Taichou had carted out his other half, who had been screeching like a banshee the entire while. His input was ignored, of course. Yoruichi continued.

"Hiyori-chan's too shy to properly display her affection, so I'm helping her, the cute little thing," the exiled Shihouin princess commented.

"Well then, in that case, something tells me that Shinji's going to get an affectionate kick right in the face the moment he lets his cute Hiyori-san loose later."

Several affectionate kicks in the face, in fact.

"It's alright! Sheesh, don't sweat the small stuff, Kisuke!"

* * *

"…milk," Shinji mumbled against his lover's bare back hours later.

Hiyori stirred slightly at his seemingly random comment, but felt too lethargic and boneless to move further. Besides, his weight kept her pinned on her stomach on the mattress; his lean and muscular arms were wrapped snugly around her waist and his larger, equally nude form was collapsed on top of her smaller one, keeping her firmly under him. His cheek was resting against the slope of her upper back, and all in all, his current relaxed, languid demeanor closely resembled that of a sleek, lazy jungle cat that had just successfully completed an extremely satisfying hunt and had ate its fill.

The room was a complete mess; clothes strewn haphazardly all over the place, Kubikiri Orochi stabbed into the floor a few paces away from the bed, and Sakanade somehow lodged haphazardly up in the ceiling over them, though how it got all the way up there in the first place currently eluded the pair. A brief but fierce battle in the training ground of the Vizard's Warehouse had ensued before they eventually took their fight into the bedroom where the Shinigami Captain had managed to subdue his feisty significant other and re-channel her irate, destructive tendencies, turning her aggression into passion instead, her anger into lust. The results had been something spectacular as they focused the full force of their sexual drive at each other, and now completely spent from their physical exertions and feeling infinitely calmer, the two lovers were momentarily content to bask in the afterglow of their frantic lovemaking.

"Drink more milk from now on," Shinji elaborated lazily then. "I heard that papaya milk is good, in particular."

"What for? The hell would I wanna drink more milk?" she retorted, swiveling her head to the side to look at him.

"Milk supposedly promotes breast growth, or somethin' like that," he muttered back. "You're also too skinny, brat, so start eatin' more if you really wanna develop a fuller figure."

She started to stiffen with ire. "Do you have a fuckin' problem with how I look now?" she demanded, twisting around in his arms and trying to wiggle out of his firm hold as she snapped at him.

His sleepy golden eyes sharpened slightly and grew more alert as he studied the growing scowl on her face. There was an ominous tone in her voice that immediately made his male instincts start waving red warning flags in his head. "No…" he answered slowly at last. "I already told ya earlier; I'll take ya however way you want me 'ta. You were the one who wanted bigger boobs."

She looked indignant that he was trying to pin this on her. "I never said that I wanted bigger boobs, shithead!"

He blinked at her. Come to think of it, Hiyori had never once mentioned earlier that she wished to be more well-endowed. It was Yoruichi who had been going on and on about his brat's measurements; Hiyori had been rather noncommittal about the whole thing. Most importantly…

"Then what the bloody hell were we fightin' about in the first place?" he questioned with a disgruntled groan, ignoring her irritable struggles and pulling her close. There was no way he was going to let her volatile temper escalate into yet another boiling tantrum that could only be appeased by a hard, physical fight – once today was enough, thank you very much.

"I don't know," she replied testily, visibly bristling. "You were lookin' for a fight; so I gave ya one."

"No, I wasn't," he murmured in flat denial against her neck, his voice muffled. "I'd rather spend my time lovin' you than fightin' you, brat."

His honest words seemed to have some sort of effect on her moody temperament, for she calmed slightly and stopped trying to push him away. He showed his appreciation by kissing his way down her neck and along her shoulder, and her breathing quickened. Sensing opportunity, he quickly rolled her under him and proceeded to show her that he meant every word he said.

She was already slick from their previous coupling and more than ready to receive him, and he nudged her legs apart and swiftly mounted her. He ducked his head and nipped her jawline, eliciting a hitched moan from her, and then he caught her lips with his own at the same time he slid wetly into her. She was snug and slippery and enveloped him with such incredible heat that he groaned against her mouth as he hilted himself fully in her.

Despite her earlier disgruntlement, it didn't take Hiyori very long to get right into the act of their lovemaking. She had always been an extremely passionate individual, and he just happened to be the only one able to light the hungry, desperate fire in her that only he could subsequently quench. She throbbed for him, and when he covered her like that – inside of her, around her – he beguiled her, distracted her, completely muddled up her thoughts until he was the only thing that mattered in her mind. His musky masculine scent, his addictive warmth, the feel of his hard, sleek body pressing down possessively over hers, the light tickle of his silk-like hair against her face – they all did things to her that just made her want him even more.

She was already sensitive from the last climax he gave her, still slightly aroused and a bit wobbly from her earlier orgasm, and sinful pleasure quickly bloomed once more across the millions of delicate nerve endings that lined her sleek inner walls when he entered her. She hissed shakily when he started to move, and the friction that arose between their bodies felt so completely decadent that she instinctively arched against him for more when he slowly pulled out of her, already fighting to join back with him, to have him fill her completely once more.

He drugged her with his kisses, long, erotic exchanges that involved his pierced tongue languidly teasing hers, dominating her with such sensuality that she couldn't even resist him. Whining low in her throat, she started to strain against him, quickly being driven wild by the careful deliberateness of his movements, each languid surge of his hips as he slipped back into her, their loins merging with painstaking slowness as he made her feel every single inch of him as he sheathed himself back inside of her.

He held her down firmly by the hips as he made tender love to her, separating from her once more just as leisurely, not allowing her to take the lead no matter how she squirmed and her body was begging so sweetly for him to take her, hard. He pulled away from her mouth to trail kisses down her throat once more, well aware of how much it turned her on when he did so, marking her pale skin with tiny little love bites as he went along the way, his long, lean frame bending over her as he focused his attention on her small but utterly lovely form. She was so charming; her physique so delicate and slight, yet still exquisitely feminine, and he was completely enthralled. Lowering his golden head over her small but pert breasts, he took one pebbled nipple into his mouth and gently licked the little rosy nub, then lightly bit down on the sensitive flesh, and she nearly came off of the bed, struggling under him with increasing determination to end this sweet torture, only to be firmly denied by him.

"Sh-Shinji!" She was panting hard by now, her glowing ochre eyes glazing over with lust, becoming increasingly frustrated as he continued to tease her mercilessly.

He lifted his head briefly to look at her, his golden gaze darkening at the alluring, wanton look on her face. "Patience, brat," he told her huskily. "Wait for it."

_Wait_ _for what_? Hiyori wanted to ask, but then he was touching her breasts once more, putting his mouth to good use, one large but elegant hand coming up to cover the rest of her chest, sinfully long fingers plucking and playing with her other sensitive nipple, and then she could not think any longer, let alone form coherent words. He was rocking against her very slowly, settling down low between her parted thighs, and dimly, through the aching, distracting pleasure, it slowly occurred to her what he was doing.

He was bringing her to completion just by concentrating his attention on her breasts alone, and _damn it, it was working_.

Hiyori tossed her head from side to side and her stomach tightened when a particular hard swirl of his slick, agile tongue made her entire body jerk from the sheer intensity of the sensation, and her slim hips arched helplessly into his, the tingling pressure in her womb building more and more as he suckled her insistently in tandem to each lazy, unhurried roll of his sleek flanks, his fingers all but worshipping her breasts with as much fervor as his hot mouth, _and she was getting so fucking close_. She bit her lips hard enough to almost draw blood, her small hands fisting into the bedspread by her sides, her legs coming up to wrap around her lover's waist, the expression on her flushed face one of urgent need, the taut little ball sitting in the pit of her belly drawing tighter and tighter, until she suddenly just came undone.

She threw her head back and howled his name with brazen, unashamed sexual satisfaction, her small body seizing up as her orgasm gripped her in its powerful, pleasurable throes. It prompted him to bury himself fully inside of her, quickly releasing her reddened and tender nipple from the erotic torment of his mouth to muffle her cries of fulfillment with a hard kiss instead, gathering her into his arms as she writhed and her slick passage continued to ripple and contract helplessly around his rigid length.

She was still quivering, weak from her climax, when he started to move again, this time in search of his own release, and she could only cling to him as he whispered sweet nothings into her ear, her thighs trembling as they rode up against his hips, momentarily passive and docile as she remained tightly entwined with him, nuzzling his neck and chest blindly as he continued to make love to her. His movements slowly quickened as his own orgasm approached, and she moved along with him, her breathing escalating once more, shivers of pleasure shooting up her spine as she moaned softly, unable to ignore his sensual attention. Her innate physical reaction to him encouraged and hastened his impending sexual release, and when he finally came, thrusting into her one last time with a husky groan, she did too, her shuddering body welcoming his seed with such sweet, eager passion that he was completely mesmerized.

It was awhile before either of them could regain control of their senses. She remained completely limp under him even after her sexual high slowly started to die down, and the events of the day must have tired her out completely, for she did not even try to leave his side like she usually would, not that he had ever let her succeed before. Instead, Hiyori just yawned sleepily, flashing her little fang as she did so, then blinked drowsily and barely reacted when he wrapped an arm around her waist and reversed their positions, so that he was lying under her now and she did not have to bear the full brunt of his weight. Much to his pleasure, she just curled up against him, her head resting against the crook of his shoulder and a leg thrown over his in haphazard familiarity, and he kissed her crown in affection.

He was just beginning to settle into a light doze when she suddenly spoke, rousing him from the lazily contented, post coital mood that had sunk in.

"…Shinji," she whispered his name with unusual hesitation, diligently avoiding his curious, searching gaze at the same time. "I'm really kinda…small, aren't I?"

It took him a short moment to understand what she was talking about. Despite all of her earlier bravado, she was obviously feeling a bit self-conscious, even though she had been trying so hard not to show it. It was especially endearing that she was turning to him to ease her worries, and so he took her question seriously.

"I didn't fall in love with you for just your breasts, Hiyori. Big or small, I'll still adore them because they're a part of you; I thought I just demonstrated that point well enough. Don't worry your little head so much 'bout it, stupid."

Her face turned bright red then, and for a brief second there, he thought that she was going to start getting shouty with him again. Then, that moment passed, and she just ended up pressing her flushed cheeks into the side of his neck instead, hiding from his amused gaze and rendered speechless by his candid, matter-of-fact reply. He chuckled softly.

"So, even you can feel embarrassment, huh, brat?"

"S-Shut up!"

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Poor Shinji, he's always going to get teased by the UraYoru team, especially where Hiyori is concerned, ahaha. This plot idea came to me out of the blue, but I really liked how it turned out. Yoruichi and Urahara are such a joy to write – I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Erm yes, I'm not entirely sure how true it is, but it's yet another urban legend that massaging the breasts can apparently increase their size. Well, it's a running gag/saying over here in Asia, at least – if you want bigger boobs, get your lover to massage them for you every night, haha.

Also, (legend says that) papaya milk helps too - don't ask me where Shinji heard that from, I have no idea myself.

…though I think the milk part might hold some merit in Bleach-verse. According to Bleach Wiki, one of Yoruichi's favorite things to drink is milk, and well, that impressive bust speaks for itself, really. XD

FYI, Hiyori did start taking more milk-related products after this; I have no idea how effectively that turned out for her, though!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

I actually intended the second part of this fic to be an omake (hence the rather abrupt transition between the parts). But in the end, the omake became even longer than the original piece (largely in part due to the smut), and so I took off the omake label and just joined them together instead. Anyway, I hope some of you liked. =)

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Last but not least, thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3132

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 24/07/13

**Completed on:** 25/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 11/08/13

* * *

**Mother Knows Best**

* * *

"I really 'ppreciate this. Kirio-san," Shinji muttered as he led the way out of the Senkaimon and to the Living Realm. The large, plump woman beside him let out a loud, jovial laugh and wasted no time thumping him on the back with a meaty hand, nearly sending the Gobantai Taichou sprawling with the sheer force of her friendly tap.

"Don't mention it!" the purple-haired Shinigami boomed. "I've always wanted to see Hiyori-chan again; now's as good a time as any! My, it's been so long since I last saw her; she must've grown into a beautiful young lady by now!"

Shinji had to smirk slightly at that. "She's still an angry little chibi," he remarked as he guided the Zerobantai member in the direction of the Vizard Warehouse. Kirio glanced at the blond man beside her; the affection in his tone was very obvious to her. Now that they were in the Living World, the Fifth Division Captain seemed less detached and bored looking, a particular gleam appearing in his golden eyes as his steps seemed to quicken towards his destination. He looked like a man who was finally coming home after a long stint away.

"You've been taking very good care of my Hiyori-chan, haven't you, Hirako?" Kirio asked then, smiling.

"I try," he replied wryly. "It's a constant challenge, since she's such a brat and an utter pain in the ass."

Kirio eyed the other Captain with clear amusement in her gaze. There was no heat in his words whatsoever. "And yet you are still willing to put up with her after all these years."

"Yeah, well," the blonde acknowledged freely as he temporarily parted the barrier that Hachi had placed over the warehouse and allowed his fellow Shinigami to step through.

"She's my brat and my pain in the ass now, after all."

* * *

It was the tantalizing smell of food wafting through the warehouse that first alerted Hiyori to the fact that something weird was going on. With the sole exception of herself, none of the other remaining Vizards could cook well enough to save their lives – in the past, the chore was split between herself, Rose and Kensei – so it was definitely strange that her trained and sensitive nose could discern the mouthwatering aroma of what was definitely a traditional home cooked meal right now. Not to mention, Love, Hachi and Lisa were not in the warehouse at the moment, so the entire situation was certainly odd, to say the least.

Following the scent from the underground training area where she had been working on her Zanjutsu, the petite blonde slowly found herself walking towards the kitchen. The delicious smell of food grew even stronger as she approached, and Hiyori's nose twitched. There was a familiar yet elusive nostalgia that inundated her senses, reminding her of much happier times long ago, yet the memories flitted teasingly out of her mind's reach as she tried to remember. Her stomach growled with hunger, and there was an almost painful buildup of expectation as she drew nearer to the source of the mystery. She was walking as fast as her legs could carry her now, determined to find her answer now, urgent anticipation thrumming in her veins – _who are you?_

Rounding the last corner, Hiyori burst into the kitchen, and she froze almost immediately as she passed the threshold. Confusion briefly inundated her features as she stared at the unfamiliar figure standing at the stove – a large, heavyset woman with purple hair arranged in an up do, her back turned to the petite Vizard as she stirred the pot of miso soup and grilled the saba. Then, Hiyori dumbly turned her gaze to the spread of food on the table; teriyaki unagi, inari sushi, kakiage tempura, atsuyaki tamago, tonkatsu, all arranged with such delicate, precise artistry, the exquisite aroma and the familiar, beautiful presentation immediately triggering all sorts of long suppressed memories that she had kept buried deep within the recesses of her mind.

The unknown woman turned her head then, and Hiyori stared.

There was nothing remotely familiar about that face, plump and jovial, with contentedly smiling lips painted black, small swirls adorning fleshy cheeks, eyes squinted close. She looked like the female embodiment of _Hotei_, the Laughing Buddha, but yet, something in Hiyori's gut _lurched_ painfully when the stranger finally spoke.

"Hiyori-chan, I _knew_ that sharp nose of yours would lead you here!" the lady exclaimed, a hand still holding onto a wooden spoon. "Oh dear, _look at you_! Have you been eating like I've always been telling you to, Hiyori-chan? You're much too skinny, child! Hasn't Hirako been feeding you properly?"

Even though the appearance was not the same, Hiyori would recognize that beloved voice anywhere.

"H-H-Hikifune…Taichou…?" she whispered, her eyes wide, trembling in shock. "Is that r-really…you?"

Kirio scooped out two bowls of miso soup and then deftly flipped the perfectly grilled mackerel onto the plate, quickly arranging the garnishing around it with expertise before she carried the tray of food to the table.

"Come, Hiyori-chan, you must be hungry. Let's eat and talk at the same time," the Zerobantai Kokuo spoke kindly, gesturing for the younger woman to join her. "I want to hear everything about your adventures in the Living Realm."

It was her. It was really her. That demeanor, that reiatsu, and even that smile, they were all dear and familiar to Hiyori, even after more than a hundred years. The petite blonde quickly found herself overwhelmed by her feelings. Shock. Disbelief. Joy. She slowly took a small step forward, her eyes glimmering with her emotions. Then, once she started moving, she could not seem to stop. She was running before she knew it, flying right towards the woman whom she had always thought of as her surrogate mother.

"Hikifune Taichou!"

Kirio just stood there and opened her arms as the younger woman ran straight into them, partially enveloped in the voluminous folds of her haori. The purple-haired female smiled sadly as she gently patted the quivering shoulders of her overwrought ex-Lieutenant as the latter clung to her like the young, scared child she used to be. "I'm sorry, Hiyori-chan," Kirio sighed at last. "The past few years must have had been hard on you, child. Perhaps, if I hadn't left-"

Hiyori pulled back slightly and shook her head, interrupting the older woman before she could finish. "Nothing woulda changed, Hikifune Taichou. The same thing would still have happened. None of us saw Aizen's betrayal comin'," the pigtailed Vizard admitted out loud for the very first time, her gaze downturned. It had taken her decades to accept that fact and to stop blaming Hikifune Taichou for her self-perceived abandonment; what had happened had been nobody's fault but that of Aizen and his crew, and now that the war was over and some form of closure had been achieved, Hiyori just wanted to get over this and get on with her life.

Nothing good ever came out of blaming others for one's own misfortune; it didn't make her feel better nor did it improve her life in any way, and she was only recently starting to let go of her resentment and feelings of betrayal towards Seireitei and the Gotei 13.

Slowly dropping her arms from her ex-superior, Hiyori took a step back to look at the rotund, kindly woman. "Hikifune Taichou, what're you doing in the Living World?"

Kirio laughed lightly at that. "You may thank Hirako for arranging this visit. He went through a lot of trouble to create this opportunity for me to meet you."

After all, the purple-haired Shinigami was part of the Royal Guard now, one of the very few elites tasked with the responsibility to protect the Soul King, his family, and the Soul King Palace, and therefore it was rare for her to be granted leave from her duties. Shinji must have pulled in a lot of favors to make this trip possible for Hikifune.

Hiyori's gaze softened in realization. Of course it would be him. "That stupid baldy…" she muttered, and Kirio smiled when she noticed the grudging affection in the girl's tone.

"So, you are finally close with Hirako now, aren't you, Hiyori-chan?" she teased. "I always knew that the two of you would end up together eventually."

Hiyori reddened at that. "Hikifune Taichou!" she protested, blushing up a storm. It seemed that the fiery tempered young woman was both unwilling and unable to resort to her usual violent outbursts when it came to her respected parental figure, and as such, both of her hands (and legs) were tied.

"Has he looked after you well over the last century?" Kirio asked. "If he hasn't, he and I are going to have words."

Hiyori thought of all the times where her significant other had saved her over the years – from herself, from her Inner Hollow, from their enemies – never too overprotective or domineering that he suffocated her spirit and smothered her growth, but also never too far away that he could not step in at a moment's notice to defend her should the need arise. It occurred to the petite blonde then that Shinji had been watching over her _for a very long time_. The blonde bowed her head slightly, her prickly pride (she could fight too and she did _not_ need to be protected) and flustered denials subsiding in deference to her instinctive need for Hikifune Taichou to approve of her chosen mate.

"He has," she admitted very quietly at last, her cheeks pink.

"He's a good man, then?" Kirio pressed.

Hiyori nodded slowly.

"He is," she whispered, feeling uncharacteristically shy as a maiden now.

Kirio's gaze softened. Hiyori-chan was really all grown up now, if she was capable of showing such a tender expression.

"Are you happy with him, Hiyori-chan?"

This time, Hiyori could not even speak, but just silently nodded her head once more. Kirio smiled.

"Then, I think you should hold tightly on to Hirako and not let go, ne?"

Hiyori was not even responding anymore, just staring mutely at the floor, her face burning at the discussion of this entirely uncomfortable topic. Her respected mother figure chuckled softly.

"Ara, our meal is getting cold. Let's continue our talk over dinner, shall we?"

Hiyori was only too glad for the change in topic. Heading over to the table with the older woman in tow, they both took their seats. Kirio beamed at the much smaller blonde and immediately received a tiny little smile in return. Her ex-Fukutaichou was still so cute after all this time, and the purple-haired Shinigami could still remember when the former had first come to her as a very small child, and she had helped put up the young girl's fluffy blonde hair in two absolutely adorable pigtails, a style that the young woman still faithfully kept to even now.

"Ah, Hiyori-chan, have you considered wearing your hair down? You've grown into such a pretty young woman, and I think that you'll look utterly lovely in all sorts of hairstyles…"

* * *

It was nearing midnight when Shinji finally sensed Kirio's departure from the Living Realm. He had been lingering over at Urahara's, and the flare of reiatsu the other Shinigami had emitted in order to open the Senkaimon alerted him that her visit with Hiyori had finally drawn to an end. The Fifth Division Captain bid his own farewells to Urahara and slowly made his way back to the Vizard Warehouse.

Hiyori could be one of two things right now; either extremely happy or extremely upset, and as the one who had made the decision to bring Kirio to the Living Realm to meet her, Shinji felt obligated to check in on his lover. Hiyori had always regarded Kirio highly; the latter was the the only woman in the entirety of Soul Society and the Living World that the petite blonde would show utmost respect. A part of him had been tempted to stay behind to see Hiyori's reaction to the meeting, but he had chosen to let the two catch up in private in the end. Kirio had always had a way with Hiyori after all, and he doubted the two women would need him around at all.

Easing his way quietly through Hachi's barrier, he slipped into the warehouse that had been his home for decades and spread out his senses to locate his brat. It didn't take him very long to find her. Her spiritual pressure buzzed dully against his consciousness, shaky, unstable, and it gave away her presence very easily.

Damn. So she was upset, after all.

Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to spring Kirio on her like this. She didn't usually take well to surprises as a rule of thumb, but he had mistakenly assumed that she would make an exception this time for her beloved mother figure. Shinji found Hiyori in her bedroom, curled in a quiet little ball on her bed, her back facing him. He slipped the door shut behind him and slowly approached. She did not seem to register his presence, and he sat down on the edge of the mattress, then reached out to rest his hand on top of her head. She finally reacted then, rolling over slowly to look at him. Her eyes were bright, but she stared at him steadily.

"Hey," he greeted softly, lightly running his fingers through her hair as he did so. There was no point in beating around the bush, and so he continued. "How are ya feelin'?"

She didn't answer him. Instead, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into bed with her, and once he was lying down beside her, she climbed on top of him and collapsed into the circle of his arms as easily and as blithely as though she had always belonged there. Her hands came up to clutch onto his white haori even as she curled into him like a needy little child, and she tucked her face into the side of his neck as she drank in his presence. If he was surprised by her action, he was not protesting it in any way. Shinji did not mind holding her; he immediately wrapped his arms around her smaller frame, pulling her close against his lean, rangy form and letting her take refuge in his reassuring strength. He stroked her back slowly and she started to shake, still completely silent, and he stiffened when he felt a deluge of liquid warmth drench his neck.

Shit. _Shit_. She was crying. Hiyori didn't cry, never cried, wasn't supposed to cry. Shinji's heart sank.

"Hiyori- _brat_," the blonde man spoke, his voice tight with distress. He felt like he had just been punched right in the gut, and his heart quietly ached for her. "_Don't cry-_"

He shifted slightly as if to look at her, but she tightened her hold on him and refused to let him even move his head.

"Don't look," she snapped gruffly against the side of his throat, her voice weak and stuffy from her tears, but there was still a familiar irritable sharpness there, though perhaps more subdued right now. "Don't fuckin' look at me right now, dammit. Look away."

She was still such a proud and prickly little thing even at this moment, but somehow, her familiar demeanor reassured him. Sighing inwardly, he turned his gaze to the ceiling but continued to hold her close, pressing her against him and rubbing her back in soothing motions. She slowly relaxed into his hold once more, her head on his shoulder, her fists unclenching against his haori, her tears falling silently like raindrops on his skin. She was very quiet when she cried, her shoulders trembling from her near silent sobs, and he had to strain his ears to catch the periodic hitch in her breathing, the tiny little sniffles she made as her nose tried to clear the congestion caused from her upset.

Every wheezing little noise she emitted tugged at his heartstrings in a very uncomfortable way. Shinji very quickly decided that he did not like this feeling at all.

"This was a really bad idea, huh?" he uttered after a while, self-deprecation in his tone. He was still lying flat on his back, his eyes fixed ahead of him, but she suddenly sat up, knocked aside his arm and roughly wiped away the remnants of her tears with the back of her hand. Her eyes were red rimmed from her earlier bout of crying but there was no trace of sadness to be found in those haunting ochre depths.

"…I never thought I'd see Hikifune Taichou again," she told him at last, slowly, her voice slightly hoarse. There was stark honesty in her words though, and so he listened. "The last one hundred years…I missed her- I missed her so damn much," Hiyori whispered tremulously with the sheer intensity of her emotions. She looked at him and swallowed hard. "But…you, you l-let m-me s-see her again, Shinji. I-I-" She could not speak further, for her tears started to flow again and she had to clap her hands over her face to hide them.

The stiff tension in his gut eased when he realized the reason why she was crying. He really did sigh out loud this time, tugging her back down to lie back beside him as he did so.

"Ya know, I never pegged ya 'ta be the type 'ta be so emotional," he drawled drolly, only for her to start bristling defensively, instinctively offended by his statement. He ignored her and just pulled her close. "It's okay 'ta cry when you're happy, stupid."

"D-Don't c-call me stupid, s-stupid!" she snapped back at him, but the quiver in her voice told him that she had taken heed of his words. He did not look at her as she pressed her face into his shoulder, respecting her need not to appear weak in front of him, instead just lifting a narrow, long fingered hand to slowly stroke through her hair as she wet his haori with her overwhelming emotions. It was a testament of his love for her that he refrained from remarking over all the unsightly snot and bodily fluids that she was smearing on his clothes, and when her tears finally abated, he simply turned his head and kissed her forehead.

"Feel better now?" he asked.

Her cheeks warmed, and she nodded slightly.

"…Shin-ji," she spoke huskily, hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"…T-Thanks," she mumbled, her gaze downturned as she avoided looking at him. She sounded so uncharacteristically shy and embarrassed, and this side of her was simply adorable. She was such an exasperating little tsundere, and he was completely charmed by her. His gaze warmed with affection.

"You're welcome, brat."

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

I got inspired to write this shot from a rather cute fanart depicting Hiyori and Hikifune. I believe that Hiyori still respects and loves her ex-Taichou very much even after all these years, since she has always regarded the older woman as her esteemed mother figure when she was growing up. Shinji's little surprise had completely shaken her, not that she could be blamed.

…I'd be pretty emotional too if I was suddenly able to meet my mother whom I had never expected to see after more than a hundred years (mostly because we'd both be dead by then, but still).

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Headcanon: thanks to Hikifune's influence, Hiyori is a _superbly _good cook. She also possesses an acutely sensitive palate and a very sharp sense of smell to go with too, and her natural abilities make her an extremely gifted individual in the culinary arts. In fact, despite her tomboyish appearance and demeanor, she's the best at cooking out of the entire Vizards and could also probably trump a good portion of Karakura town and Seireitei while she's at it as well, though this is a pretty well-kept secret since cooking isn't really Hiyori's burning passion and she would only do it for the people she cares deeply for.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Last but not least, thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 1731

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 26/07/13

**Completed on:** 26/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 12/08/13

* * *

**Hiyori, Drunk – Part I**

* * *

He had been teasing her for _hours_ now.

It had been a couple of months since he last came to the Living Realm; winter had always been a busy period for the entire Goteijusantai as all the individual divisions were bogged down by the tedious annual auditing and inspection process to keep operations in check and ensure that all the squads were being run properly and efficiently. Apparently, the Sanbantai, the Gobantai and the Kyuubantai had only very recently cleared all of their overwhelming bureaucratic obligations, allowing their Vizard Captains (and the female Ninth Division Lieutenant) to slip back to Karakura town for a short visit with their comrades. Hiyori would never openly admit it, but it had been good to catch up with the others as well, with Yoruichi, Urahara and Tessai added into the mix, though the golden-haired baldy beside her had been making it extremely difficult for her to concentrate on the conversation flowing around the table.

His very presence alone was already distracting enough, and since they were all gathered around a kotatsu in the Urahara Shoten, food and sake flowing freely, his close proximity to her also meant that she could acutely sense his warmth and familiar, masculine scent as he sat close to her, their thighs touching and her shoulder brushing against his arm, and it was slowly driving her crazy. Then, there was also the fact that his hand was resting on her knee under the table, and even as he was very nonchalantly responding to and interacting with the rest, those sinfully long fingers of his were lazily caressing her leg through the fabric of her tracksuit.

For Hiyori, who had not been touched by him for quite some time, this form of teasing was sweet torture. A small part of her was infuriated by the fact that she was becoming so weak to his acts of affection that she could not even bring herself to pull away from his hand, while the rest of her just wanted to shove him to the floor, climb on top of him, and have her wicked way with him right there. Not surprisingly, the conflicting emotions of irritation and desire made her very edgy and jumpy, though since she usually appeared quite moody, no one found her behavior out of place at all. Hiyori was mostly quiet as she hunkered over her plate and turned her full concentration on eating and drinking, vaguely listening to the others as they chatted around her and replying every once in a while to words that were directed at her, completely avoiding even looking at her lover as she did so.

Shinji, on the other hand, was ever the consummate social butterfly, never missing a beat as he easily interacted with the people around him, even very casually directing some of his banter towards Hiyori, who could not even look at him and just mumbled her responses to the dishware in front of her, much to his amusement.

"Why're ya so quiet today, brat?" he asked teasingly, propping his elbow on the table and idly resting his cheek against his palm as he watched her shovel her food into her mouth and quickly chase it down with large enthusiastic gulps of her drink.

"Perhaps, if you take your hand off of her leg, Shinji, then maybe Hiyori'll be more willing to speak to you," Lisa remarked rather flatly from the other side of the petite blonde then, and the other Shinigami and Vizards who overheard the exchange showed varying expressions of amusement and exasperation. The Fifth Division Captain's affection towards his lover was hardly a secret to this group, and as such, he was completely shameless and unapologetic about it, tossing a lazy, unbothered smirk at the lot of them.

"Hiyori ain't complaining," Shinji remarked slyly. It was obvious that he was asking for a beating from his other half, and the rest of the group waited for the trigger happy young woman to gladly comply.

Imagine their collective surprise when petite Vizard just _blushed_. It wasn't just a light, near imperceptible smattering of pink, but a full on, maidenly flush that turned her small face bright red. The visibly flustered female just took up her cup and completely drained its contents before setting it back on the table with a loud thump.

Even Shinji was taken aback by her suspicious lack of an explosive reaction. His golden eyes narrowed slightly.

"Brat?" There was an unspoken question in his sobering tone, and she finally lifted her head to look at him. Her catlike ochre eyes were large and wide, her pupils dilated, her cheeks red, and she blinked languidly at him. Shinji quickly froze – he had seen that look before, a long time ago.

"Shinji…?" she murmured dazedly, and then, she just leaned over to him and plopped her forehead against his arm, turning her hot face towards him and rubbing her burning cheek against the cool material of his Captain haori with a sigh of relish, a small, disarmingly cute kittenish churr escaping her mouth even as her hands came up to clutch onto his sleeve.

Yoruichi shook her head with disappointment. "Hiyori-chan's such a lightweight," the cat woman remarked, even as Lisa peered at the empty sake flask beside the young woman's cup.

"She only had one flask the whole night," the ebony haired, bespectacled Vizard observed calmly. "I'd never guess that Hiyori had such poor tolerance."

Shinji looked horrified. "You gave her _alcohol_?" he demanded, outraged. "I thought that was just a soft drink!" He had not paid attention to what she had been chugging down for the past few hours, mainly because her drink had been placed on Lisa's side all this while.

Both women appeared remarkably unconcerned for having corrupted the innocent. "I don't know how old you think Hiyori is, Shinji," Lisa commented, "but she has been over the legal drinking age for a very long time, and besides, it was only one flask of sake."

"Only one flask-" Shinji broke off, looking visibly alarmed. The last time, it had taken only two small ochoko cups to down her, and since he had been careful to keep her away from any types of alcohol after that _interesting_ experience, he highly doubted that she had built up any tolerance whatsoever.

Kisuke coughed then. "Anou, Lisa-san, it's not an issue of age. Hiyori-san has an _interesting_ reaction to alcohol." The bucket hat wearing Urahara would know, being the other person who had been on hand the last time Hiyori got drunk.

"That's why I never let her drink," Shinji muttered as he placed an arm around Hiyori's shoulder, the latter who was now curled up at his side like a docile kitten, looking at the rest of them with sleepy eyes.

"In Lisa's defense," Rose interjected calmly then, "you never told us any of this before, Shinji."

The Gobantai Taichou rolled his eyes slightly in exasperation. "Yeah, well, if I told you guys, how much do ya wanna bet that those two-" there, he inclined his head towards Mashiro and Lisa, "-would immediately try to get Hiyori drunk just to see what I'm talkin' 'bout?"

The green haired Lieutenant just giggled impishly whereas her black-haired counterpart didn't even bother to deny it. "You've made me very curious now, Shinji," Lisa stated, and the blonde man sighed. He gracefully unfolded his lean frame from his seat, tugging an unresisting Hiyori along with him as he did so.

"Well, that's it for us," he announced. "We're goin' back. This fella's down for the count anyway; I'm takin' her home."

"Are you coming back later?" Kensei asked.

"Nah." Shinji shook his head, supporting his lover's weight easily with one arm as she leaned against him, then hid her flushed features with the flowing sleeve of his haori as he drew her close. She immediately pressed her face into his chest, and her hands came up to grab the lapels of his shihakusho. "No offense to you guys, but I'd rather stay with Hiyori."

"None taken, Ero-Shinji," came the returning chorus, and he scowled at the lot of them for the stupid nickname. The irritated man looked like he wanted to take issue with his idiotic friends, but one look at the increasingly inebriated female in his arms immediately changed his mind. Shinji muttered his goodbyes and took his leave with Hiyori.

"He's pretty whipped, isn't he?" Love remarked after the couple had left.

Kensei grunted. "She's always had him by the balls, so I don't see how anything has changed at all."

"I think it's cute," Mashiro threw in her two cents then. "Shinji has always been sweet on his Hiyori-chan!"

"Kisuke," Lisa interjected then, "what happens when Hiyori gets drunk? You seem to know something."

The ex-Captain shrugged. "If I remember correctly, Hiyori-san becomes very…emotional."

"Emotional?" Yoruichi repeated with a raised brow. "Do you just mean that her inhibition is completely shot, Kisuke? That's pretty normal for drunk people."

"No," the Urahara replied. "It's not like that at all. When I say 'emotional,' I do mean 'emotional,' and it's the cute, defenseless little baby animal type of 'emotional.' Shinji and I sure were surprised when we first found out about Hiyori-san's unusual reaction to alcohol."

The gathering of Vizards and Shinigami paused and tried to picture the ornery and quick tempered Hiyori they knew as 'cute _and_ defenseless.' They failed completely.

"…That's good, isn't it?" Hachi commented cautiously at last. "They are lovers, after all. If it's like that, I can understand why Hirako Taichou is reluctant for other people to see Hiyori in that state."

Kisuke took a sip of his sake. "The really interesting thing was, Hiyori-san didn't remember a thing the next day."

"_Ah_." Came the collective response. That _was_ a problem.

"So, how did you guys deal with Hiyori-chan the last time?" Yoruichi asked then.

Kisuke shrugged again. "I didn't. I had just recently become a Captain at that time and wasn't very close with Hiyori-san yet. Shinji took care of it."

There was a brief pause as everyone took the time to digest the information.

"Well then, in that case, everything turned out as it should," Rose ventured. "Shinji's always the best at taking care of Hiyori; it's just as well that they ended up together."

And no one could disagree with that.

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Headcanon: Hiyori is a complete lightweight when it comes to alcohol. She's so bad with it that just a bit would get her completely out of her usual frame of mind. It's not that implausible, really, if you consider her physical weight and height. People who are smaller/shorter has less blood volume in their bodies, and since level of alcohol intoxication is measured by percentage of alcohol in the blood, it make senses that a smaller person would only need to take a smaller amount of alcohol to have the same blood alcohol content (BAC) as a larger/taller person.

Do keep in mind that BAC is not a measure of alcohol tolerance though – the latter varies from person to person, and let's just say that Hiyori's is nearly non-existent.

And okay, so I probably exaggerated it a bit, but come on, Bleach is a series full of flying supernatural beings and magic swords – I think I'm entitled to a bit of exaggeration here, haha.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

As for Hiyori's reaction to being drunk, well, that's another headcanon for the next chapter – I won't spoil it for you guys yet.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

And yes, Ero-Shinji is the new nickname that the other Vizards and exiled Shinigami had taken to calling him. Shinji is not amused.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Also, in other news, I'm very excited to announce that 'Lily and Thistle' has received its second fanart, made by the sweet and lovely lilithkiss on tumblr. I have linked the piece (as always, it can be found on my profile page, under 'Fanarts'), so do have a look if you are free. lilithkiss has also other amazing ShiYori works on her blog, so go check her out, and do remember to leave a nice comment if you like her works!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Last but not least, thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2799

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 27/07/13

**Completed on:** 28/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 14/08/13

* * *

**Hiyori, Drunk – Part II**

* * *

Shinji managed to get Hiyori back to the warehouse without too much trouble. She was slightly groggy and unfocused, and therefore put up no resistance as he brought her home. She was quiet and clingy when inebriated, content to stay close to him, and was completely docile and compliant when he gave her a glass of water to drink. Her obedience and the lack of a struggle would have thrown him in for a loop if not for the fact that this had happened before, and therefore he simply gave in to the inevitable when they got to her bedroom and she dragged him into bed with her.

His brat pushed him onto the mattress and then wasted no time wiggling determinedly into his arms, curling into his side like a little cat and affectionately nuzzling her warm face into the side of his throat. She exhaled with contentment and relaxed in his hold, openly happy to cuddle with him.

"You smell really good," she mumbled, sighing softly with pleasure near his ear, deeply taking in his scent, a perfect blend of his cologne and the earthy masculine musk of him, now tinted with the slightest hint of sake, her hands tightening into the folds of his kosode as she pressed herself even closer to him.

Shinji was slightly amused by her remark; she had pretty much said the same thing the last time around too. Hiyori was so defensive and prickly most of the time, and it was hardly surprising that she seldom made mention of her preferences unless she happened to be out of her usual frame of mind – like now.

Hiyori suddenly sat up then, pushing herself upright and fanning herself agitatedly with a limp hand as she did so. "Am hot," she complained, and then she was tugging at her red jacket, pulling it off of herself and tossing it haphazardly onto the floor, leaving only her thin white tank top on as she went on to fiddle with her track pants. Peeling off the heavy material and kicking her bottoms off of the bed as well, she was about to follow it up with the removal of her plain white panties when he quickly grabbed her hands and pulled her back down against his chest instead.

"No, brat," he told her huskily. "Your underwear stays on tonight; at least have some mercy on me."

Hiyori frowned at him but thankfully did not take issue with his refusal to let her continue to strip. Besides, all of her thicker clothes had already been shed, and she was starting to cool down. The smaller blonde tilted her head to watch her lover instead, looking at him with bright, fascinated eyes. Then, she reached out to touch his fringe.

"You have pretty hair," she blurted out suddenly, fingering the fine golden strands with obvious interest. Already resigned to his fate, he allowed her to lean over him to play with his long, fine bangs, though eventually, her attention fell onto his handsome, aristocratic face. Her glowing ochre gaze studied him intently, her hand lowering from his forehead to softly caress his cheek. Her touch was unexpectedly gentle, her fingers lightly tracing over his skin; the bridge of his nose, his sharp cheekbones, his lips. She was still flushed from the alcohol, and the expression on her face was incredibly tender and attentive as she watched him. As her lover, he could not help but to instinctively react to her look of feminine interest and desire.

Hiyori slowly dipped her head towards his until their mouths were nearly touching, and then, she whispered with pure, sweet affection. "I love you, Shinji."

His breath caught involuntarily, his pupils dilating at her earnest, candid confession, and before he could respond to it, she was kissing him. Slowly, softly, lovingly. She was lying on top of him now, chest to chest, her small hands framing his face, holding him still as she kissed him with exquisite fervor, and he was gently overcome by her brand of innocent seduction. Her lips rubbed against his teasingly, her soft, wet tongue licking eagerly at his mouth, and his good intentions promptly marched right out the front door. His blood quickly heated in his veins and his arms went around her immediately, pulling her close as he hungrily devoured her mouth, sucking and nipping gently, coaxing her lips apart and sweeping his own pierced tongue in to tangle with hers. She groaned throatily and arched slightly against him, helpless to resist the onslaught of his growing passion, her hands sliding down from his face to his shoulders, then tugging clumsily at his kosode, trying to rid him of his uniform.

_She was simply intoxicating_. They hadn't been together for months and he had missed her, badly. Her scent and warmth and presence surrounded him and he was lost in the sensual promise of her body and her ready, utterly receptive responses. The way she moved against him, the needy, desirous want and focus she had on him, the feel of her warm mouth and her fervent touch, they all did things to him no other women could, like so many little tenterhooks that dug deeply under his skin and bound him to her in a way that he never wanted to be free of. She was his weakness, his Achilles' heel, the chink in his armor. He had always been drawn to her even from the very beginning; she was mesmerizing, her fierce spirit captivating, and…

She was also completely _drunk_.

The reminder was like a splash of icy water to his fevered, enraptured senses, and Shinji was briefly dazed by the speed in which his desire for her had taken hold of him. He pulled away from her slightly only for her to grunt in protest and strain towards him to close the distance once more, and the way she was suckling so sweetly on his tongue made heady lust roar through him like a freight train. _Good god_. If they didn't stop right now, then he wasn't going to be able to hold back his overwhelming urge for her for very long.

He quickly rolled her onto her back underneath him and finally broke the kiss with a regretful groan, much to her little whimper of displeasure.

"Shinji!"

The Shinigami Captain dodged his lover's attempt to grab him by pinning her down firmly, and then he laid his forehead against her shoulder, his breathing slightly faster than usual, and it took him at least a minute to recompose himself.

"…Shinji?" the woman lying beneath him asked questioningly then. "Why did you stop?"

He lifted his head to look at her and instantly regretted it. Her feline eyes were still bright with need and passion, her small mouth red and kiss swollen, a lovely flush smudging her cheeks, and right now everything about her was encouraging him to ravish her until they were both utterly exhausted from the act. He shook his head to dispel the all too attractive notion, trying to quell his arousal at the same time. It wasn't going all too well, what with the object of his desire so near him and looking entirely too willing to fulfill his every fantasy and want.

"You're drunk, brat," he told her gruffly at last. "I'm not gonna touch you like this."

She looked at him. And _pouted_. He stiffened. His head was still spinning slightly at how differently she was behaving. This was really not what had happened the last time he and Kisuke accidentally got her inebriated. Her reaction had been more childlike and innocent back then, but now there was an unexpectedly seductive quality in her responses, and it was slowly driving him crazy.

"Why?" she demanded, looking quite sulky at the same time. It was somehow cute and incredibly sexy at the same time.

"'Cause you aren't gonna remember a damn thing tomorrow, that's why," he informed her flatly. "I won't make love to you when you're inebriated."

"You don't know that," she protested, and he just gave her a look. Unfortunately, he was Taichou for a reason, and despite his sometimes comical levity and behavior, actually possessed far more self-control and discipline than she could ever challenge him for.

"No means no," he told her, perhaps more curtly than necessary, but he was incredibly tense himself – she was completely inviting and pliant under him and it was a challenge to resist her sensual offer. "Consider this your punishment for drinking and getting yourself drunk, brat."

Then, Hiyori did something that he did not expect at all.

Her eyes filled with tears, much to his stunned horror. The deep, soulful ochre depths were huge and accusatory as she looked at him

"You don't love me at all, do you?" Her voice hitched pitifully as she asked him the utterly ridiculous question, though as he looked at her incredulously, it became obvious to him that her upset was very real.

Large droplets of saline sadness flowed down her cheeks even as he gawked at her in shock. What. The. Hell.

_What the ever loving hell?!_

"You just don't want to touch me," she insisted with pure hurt, suddenly looking like a wounded fawn, much to his increasingly bewilderment. Was this really his brat? "You don't love me at all, even though I love you so much."

Shinji blinked slowly. _O-kay_. Okay, he should have known that something was wrong with her the moment she suddenly confessed her love for him. That had _never_ happened before, and he had let himself get carried away in the moment of blissful confusion.

"Did you hit your head just now or somethin', Hiyori?" he demanded then, and she looked so betrayed by his apparent lack of regard for her tender feelings that she ended up crying harder.

"Shinji, you meanie!" she wailed, pounding on his shoulders with her small fists. "You poopy head! I hate you!"

…_Poopy…head?_ He thought ludicrously even as he barely felt her attack on him. Hiyori _never_ pulled her punches, but these right now were so completely weak that even a little girl could hit harder than this. Not for the first time, he wondered if this woman was really his lover. Even her speech pattern was different. _What was going on?_

"We're breaking up right now, since I'm so hideous to you!" she cried, successfully clawing her way free from his grasp, loosened by his dumbfounded surprise. Swiping the back of her hand against her tearing eyes, she clambered clumsily across the bed and swung her feet onto the ground, preparing for her flight from his presence.

Her reiatsu was turbulent with agitation – the signature of the familiar spiritual pressure was clearly hers and not that of an imposter – and he slowly began to realize the truth.

She was just intoxicated – _really intoxicated_ – and this was the personality that was unleashed when she was not in control of herself. It was still his Hiyori, just a facet of her personality that he was not very familiar with, and with that in mind, he reached out and snagged her arm before she could run off, pulling her back towards him and simply absorbing her weak struggles as he lowered his head and kissed the side of her neck.

"Stop it, brat," he told her, wry affection filtering into his tone. Even when inebriated, she was still a handful; she was such a weird little thing but he didn't think that he would ever lose interest in her.

"Don't call me brat!" She tried to shove him away but to no avail. "Why do you always call me by such an awful nickname?!"

He was really nonplussed by this overly sensitive side of her, but she was still sniffling rather pitifully, and his heart squeezed with guilt at staining that adorable face with tears. "Alright, I'll stop," he improvised quickly. "But you're not goin' anywhere; you can't run off with my heart still in your possession, luv."

His words seemed to have an effect on her, for she stilled and looked at him with large teary eyes which he was quickly finding himself completely weak to. _She was so damn_…_cute_. He pulled her onto his lap and tucked her head under his chin. Unlike the normal prickly Hiyori, this current version was actually more than willing to be babied by him. Shinji had no idea what to make of this entirely strange situation. Still, this was literally a once-in-a-century event, so he might as well not think too much and just try to make the best out of it. "Don't cry, Hiyori," he murmured, affection swelling in his chest for the quivering bundle of femininity in his arms. "I'm sorry, alright?"

She said nothing for a while, but just when he was beginning to think that perhaps she had nodded off on him, she abruptly spoke.

"Sing for me," Hiyori demanded. "I want to hear you sing."

Shinji stilled in surprise. "Sing? You want me 'ta sing?" he repeated slowly, as if in disbelief, and she turned her head up to look at him.

"You sang last time," she pointed out. "Sakura Sakura. I remember. I want you to sing again."

Last time? Sing…again? And _that song_…there was only one time where he had sung it to her, and that was a very long time ago, _when she was drunk_. Suddenly, Shinji realized something. He stared at the smaller blonde in shock. "You…remembered."

Or rather, this hidden side of her had never forgotten. In response, Hiyori just laid her head back down on his shoulder and expectantly waited for him to begin.

Shinji was very bemused and equally fascinated, but he did not deny her request. Clearing his throat, he briefly recalled the stanzas, and then cradling her tenderly to his chest, he lowered his head and started to sing quietly and slowly, huskily whispering the words of the folksong in deference to the proximity of her ear.

_Sakura sakura_  
_Noyama mo sato mo_  
_Mi-watasu kagiri_  
_Kasumi ka kumo ka_  
_Asahi ni niou_  
_Sakura sakura_  
_Hana zakari_

_Sakura sakura_  
_Yayoi no sora wa_  
_Mi-watasu kagiri_  
_Kasumi ka kumo ka_  
_Nioi zo izuru_  
_Izaya izaya_  
_Mini yukan_

_Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,_  
_In fields and villages_  
_As far as you can see._  
_Is it a mist, or clouds?_  
_Fragrant in the morning sun._  
_Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,_  
_Flowers in full bloom._

_Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,_  
_Across the spring sky,_  
_As far as you can see._  
_Is it a mist, or clouds?_  
_Fragrant in the air._  
_Come now, come now,_  
_Let's look, at last!_

It was more of a lyrical recital than a song actually, with the way he went about it, but his low, deep tenor was lulling and soothing, and just like last time over a century ago, the sound of his voice slowly calmed her agitation and made her stop crying. She turned her face into his throat and nuzzled him drowsily, her small hands clutching loosely onto his kosode, her eyes starting to slowly slide shut. He projected tranquility and safety, and she could not help but to react to it, relaxing more and more in his arms until she was all but draped bonelessly over him, and she sighed very softly.

By the time he finished singing, she was already fast asleep. Shinji's golden gaze was soft with affection as he watched over his slumbering lover, and he was exquisitely gentle as he removed her hair pins and freed her hair from its pigtailed constraints. Then, he moved to lay her down on the bed, and she stirred slightly when he made to pull away. Her hand came up to wrap around his wrist, and her ochre eyes opened briefly, showing mild confusion and the beginnings of a small frown.

"Where're you goin'?" she asked in a little bleary whimper. "Don't go. Stay."

"I'm not goin' anywhere," he assured her, and true to form, he started to remove his white haori and vest, draping the heavy fabric against a nearby chair alongside with his cravat before he climbed back into bed to rejoin her, dressed only in his black shihakusho this time, lying on his side beside her and curling his lean frame around her smaller one. She wiggled around to face him and burrowed her way into his arms, leaning in close and resting her head against his shoulder, fitting herself comfortably to his body. Stretching up slightly, she brushed a small, affectionate kiss against his chiseled jaw before settling back down to sleep.

"Love you," she whispered very quietly into his neck before she finally nodded off, out like a light. Shinji tilted down and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too, my Hiyori."

* * *

**Omake**

He woke to the sound of her disgruntled swearing the next day. She was obviously grumpy and experiencing some level of discomfort judging by the general content of her mutters, and he would not be surprised if she was slightly hung-over from her adventures the previous night – the little lightweight. She was also squirming against him in increasing agitation and unceremoniously jabbing her sharp elbows into his side, and at last he just drew her even closer to him to quell her movements.

"Good mornin', luv," he murmured in a voice husky from sleep, languidly cracking open a golden eye to look at her. She scowled cantankerously up at him. Huh, it seemed that she was back to her normally grouchy, short tempered self.

"How many times must I tell ya; don't call me that," she snapped sharply only to wince when the sound of her own shrill voice jarred her aching head. She looked pretty miserable, overall. Slightly amused over her misfortune, Shinji propped his elbow on the bed and rested his chin on the flat of his palm to watch her.

"Head hurts?" he enquired lazily, and he sounded so completely unsympathetic to her discomfort that she just glowered at him. He ignored the evil eye she was sending his way and continued, lightly tapping her temple with his long index and middle digits as he did so. "That's why you shouldn't drink, stupid. Do you remember what happened last night?"

She slapped his hand away from her irritably, not in the mood for his teasing. "Don't call me stupid, shithead," she growled lowly, and he humored her by patting her head, much to her increasing outrage. "Stop that!" She cringed once again when her voice hurt her head and he took pity on her this time, pulling her close and nuzzling her with affectionate apology, absorbing her struggles even though she hissed and sputtered, holding her and waiting patiently until she reluctantly settled in his arms.

"You don't remember a thing, do ya?" he asked, his voice pitched low in deference to her current sensitive condition.

She grumbled sourly. "I don't know what yer talkin' 'bout. Stop yappin', my head hurts."

He ignored her and continued. "That's a pity, ya know. Because you were hella entertaining last night; ya sure ya don't wanna talk 'bout it?"

At his extremely amused tone, alarm bells started to ring in her head. Hiyori was not one to back off so easily though. The petite female turned her face up to scowl at her lover. "If you're gonna say somethin', just say it. I'm gonna beat it outta ya if you keep stallin'," she snapped.

He shrugged elegantly at her touchy ferocity. "Well then, if you insist," he remarked with a deliberate nonchalance that just drove her blood pressure straight up. "You were very busy last night, brat. You professed your love 'ta me no less than three times, and you kept tryin' 'ta molest me and I had 'ta stop ya from takin' off all of your clothes. You got pretty emotional after that – and by 'emotional' I mean that you got all weepy and dramatic and stuff – ya sure surprised me."

Hiyori froze in disbelief and looked aghast at his flat, deadpan account. "No," she muttered, embarrassment threatening to take over her. "You're lying. I couldn't have-"

"You sure did," he cut her off before she could finish denying his words. "You also called me very cute names like 'meanie' and 'poopy head,' and then you insisted that I give you a nicer nickname other than 'brat' – I started callin' you 'luv,' by the way, which seemed to make you quite happy-" Hiyori flushed horribly at that. "-and then-"

"You're not done yet?" she cried out, horrified. She was also trying to subtly wiggle away from him in obvious mortification, but he was not having any of it. He was determined that she suffer through the consequences of her actions, no matter how embarrassing she found them to be. He cut her a bland look.

"You were _very_ busy, brat," he emphasized drolly, before going back to his recital of a night in the life of Sarugaki Hiyori, Inebriated Edition. Hiyori groaned and finally quit trying to escape, accepting that he wasn't going to let her get away with whatever she had done this time. She thunked her head against her lover's shoulder, who was enjoying this far too much for his own good, damn him. "You were being really cute and cuddly too; it was really adorable." The smaller blonde twitched at being described as 'cute,' 'cuddly,' and 'adorable.' "Ah, you also demanded that I serenade you to sleep."

That was the last straw.

Hiyori lifted her head quickly to glare at Shinji once again, most of her headache dissipating by now to be replaced by immeasurable chagrin. "You're makin' all this up, aren't ya?" she demanded, bullishly trying to bluster her way through the situation as usual. "You're just pullin' bullshit right outta your ass. There's no way-"

His golden eyes sharpened. "Isn't there?" he challenged her in a mild but even tone. "Do _you_ remember what happened last night? Is there any way for you to refute anything I say?"

Hiyori's mouth snapped shut. He had her there. She could not remember a damn thing at all, and the realization was…unsettling, to say the least. Shinji rapped his knuckles lightly against her head. She yelped in protest.

"You can't hold your liquor at all, brat, and worse still, you're also completely vulnerable when you're drunk. See now why I have such a huge issue with you drinking alcohol? Don't make me worry, stupid."

Hiyori scowled, doing her best to ignore the concern in his tone. "I didn't know it was alcohol, alright! I thought it was just a new type of soft drink – and it tasted weird, too."

His brow twitched at her reply. "You thought that it was a _soft drink_?" Shinji didn't know whether to be amused or disturbed by her naiveté. "Be more aware next time, and if something tastes weird, don't just keep drinking it, little idiot! This is the second time already!"

She punched him hard in the shoulder then, her tolerance for his awful brand of pet names for her already at its limit. "Quit calling me that, shithead!" Then, sobering slightly, she immediately questioned. "What do you mean by 'second time already?'"

Shinji just scrutinized the irritated female enigmatically. At last, he gave her a flippant shrug.

"If you don't remember, then I ain't tellin'."

"_Hage Shinji_!"

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Headcanon: Hiyori's default operating mode is 'Tsundere.' However, exposure to alcohol will unlock the special hidden 'dere dere Hiyori' mode. This mode must be approached with extreme caution and constant supervision, for even though the Graphical User Interface suddenly becomes extremely User Friendly, it is also extremely sensitive, and any rough handling or wrong approach will immediately result in partial system breakdown, emotional tantrums and lots of tears – usually on both sides.

(For those who do not know, dere dere means 'lovey lovey' in Japanese.)

**xXxXxXxXxX**

…To be honest, Shinji's kind of afraid of the Hiyori: Lovey Lovey Model.

He's just thankful that Hiyori is not like that most of the time and that when she is, she doesn't remember a thing after a good sleep.

(Because dere dere Hiyori is so cute that Shinji becomes utter putty in her hands, and it's even more difficult than usual to say 'no' to her when she wants something.)

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Dere dere Hiyori is basically the same as Tsundere Hiyori but somewhat different at the same time.

Tsundere Hiyori is more emphatic and forceful in getting what she wants, whereas Dere dere Hiyori frowns on violence and uses her cute feminine wiles to get her way instead. Dere dere Hiyori is rather ladylike, speaks in proper sentences and does not swear, whereas Tsundere Hiyori is a tomboy, speaks in Kansai-ben and is a swearing machine.

Both are equally scary and determined to get their way no matter what, though, so I kind of feel a bit sorry for Shinji, ahaha.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

…And why do I suddenly feel like I'm writing a user manual?

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Moving on…Yes, as hinted in the omake and the previous chapter, this double-shot will link to the next miniseries (also another double-shot) that will briefly take us back a hundred years plus a decade and a bit more, to the 'Turn Back The Pendulum' arc where the first part of this whole story originally started. Shinji and Hiyori share such a long history together that I cannot help but take advantage of their bond and try to fill in the blanks with some of my many headcanons.

Anyway, please look forward to it!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

The song that Shinji sang to Hiyori is called 'Sakura Sakura' (さくら さくら, 'Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms'). It is a traditional Japanese folk song, dating back to the Edo period, depicting spring, the season of cherry blossoms. For those who are interested in listening to the song, please visit Wikipedia (you can search for the relevant page on Google using the tag 'Sakura Sakura' – it's the very first result), they have a really nice adaptation of it.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Last but not least, thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	10. Chapter 10

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2766

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 29/07/13

**Completed on:** 29/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 18/08/13

* * *

**Hiyori, Drunk – Turn Back the Pendulum Edition, Part I**

* * *

It was Spring, and Hanami in Seireitei was unrivaled in Soul Society. Entire stretches of training fields bloomed with color, a stunning riot of gorgeous pinks and whites that took over the foliage and filled the air with the light, sweet scent of abundantly blossoming Sakura and Ume. The view was simply spectacular and beyond compare to anything that the Living Realm could offer, especially at the height of the season, and even in the evenings, the flowering cherry and plum trees were breathtaking to behold, their hauntingly delicate colors brought out by the flickering paper lanterns that lit up the training grounds, easily beguiling anyone who walked under them.

For most of the seated officers of the Gotei 13, this was a time to make merry and get legitimately drunk. Hanami season was a traditional festival that was officially recognized and observed by Seireitei as a whole, and most of the Shinigami usually took full advantage of it. During the month or so of festivities and celebrations, duties were noticeably light, and everyone's moods generally became just a little more relaxed and laidback as the spirit of the season overtook them.

Lounging in a lit pavilion overseeing a tranquil lakeside lined with blooming Sakura one particular evening were the two Taichou of the Gobantai and the Juuniibantai, Hirako Shinji and Urahara Kisuke. Delicate porcelain flasks of sake and drinking saucers along with bowls of traditional Japanese snacks of senbei, kaki no tane and nuts were spread across the stone table between the two men as they met up for _yozakura_, taking the opportunity to socialize and interact with likeminded comrades outside of the usual constraints of work and division related responsibilities.

"It's a pity that Yoruichi has to attend to her duties to her clan this evening," Kisuke was just commenting as he looked out at the beautiful scenery. "She would've loved to join us tonight."

Shinji took a sip of his sake and shrugged noncommittally. He was just glad to be free of the humdrum of work for the day, and the sake that Kisuke brought over was of a particularly excellent quality too, rich and fragrant, lingering delicately across his palate like a well brewed rice wine should.

"The Shihouin Clan, eh?" the long-haired man commented lazily, eyeing the other man with his usual bored yet sharp gaze. "Now that I think of it, you do seem pretty close with their princess, Kisuke."

It sounded like an idle, offhanded remark more than anything, but with the Fifth Division Captain, nothing was what it seemed, and Urahara just smiled ambiguously.

"Yoruichi and I are childhood friends," the tousled blonde responded calmly. "We know each other from way back." And that was that.

Shinji shrugged carelessly, respecting the man's boundaries as well as his need for privacy and backing off. He changed the subject obligingly. "So, how's Captain life treatin' ya? Most of the Twelfth Division seem 'ta be fallin' in line pretty well enough, from what I can see. The lil' monkey still givin' you any problems?"

Already a year had passed since Kisuke took the helm of the Juuniibantai, and for the most part, everything seemed to be running smoothly, except for a few unexpected snags and hitches here and there. Unfortunately, the Fukutaichou of his division happened to be one of the abovementioned issues that had yet to be completely sorted out. Kisuke didn't really mind though; Hiyori-san performed her duties well enough most of the time – she was just a bit temperamental and shouty sometimes. And kicky. And bitey. Not to mention punchy. But it wasn't anything that he could not handle.

"Ah, well," Kisuke took an idle sip from his saucer. "We're still working on it."

Shinji snorted. "Someone needs 'ta put a leash on the little runt; she's outta control. No offense, Kisuke, but you're terrible at it."

The other Captain just smiled. "Hiyori-san's a spirited young lady. She's a good Lieutenant to have around."

The long-haired blonde waved his hand dismissively in the air. "You might as well just call a spade a spade, Kisuke. No wonder you're getting stepped on all 'ta time-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Shinji was sent face first into his saucer of sake as the sole of a small, stocking-ed foot landed unceremoniously on the back of his head, shoving him forward into the shallow dish of alcohol. Unceremoniously using the golden-haired Captain as a springboard, the tiny flash of black somersaulted neatly and landed in front of the two higher ranked officers.

By now, the Gobantai Taichou didn't even need visual confirmation to guess just who it was that had so rudely stomped on him. Sputtering and quickly lifting his head, he wasted no time chewing out the culprit.

"Damn you, Hiyori! What 'ta hell do ya think yer doing!" a now somewhat disheveled looking Shinji yelled, his face red with agitation and dripping with sake, his normally perfectly groomed hair all mussed and his usually straight, even fringe stuck to his forehead in odd, comical angles that only added to the chaotic hilarity of the previously tranquil scene.

Faux surprise showed on the face of the Fukutaichou of the Juuniibantai "Yo, hage Shinji! I didn't see you there!" Sarugaki Hiyori mocked. "I thought I heard somebody askin' 'ta be stepped on, so I helpfully obliged!"

Shinji looked like he wanted nothing more than to reach over and strangle the cheeky little fanged brat, and Kisuke quickly interrupted before the two of them could start their usual quarrel. They mixed together about as well as oil and water, and if given the opportunity, could really get completely out of hand with their little fights and squabbles.

"Hiyori-san, were you looking for me?" the tousled blonde enquired. Hiyori turned away from taunting the other Captain to focus on her commanding officer, sobering almost immediately. She unceremoniously shoved a thick sheaf of papers right in his face.

"You forgot 'ta sign these," she told him grudgingly. "Unohana Taichou needs your signatures by tomorrow morning or the Fourth Division won't loan their medical equipment 'ta us."

Kisuke flipped through the documents; he _had_ forgotten about these. Looking up, he spoke with chagrin. "Ah, Hiyori-san, I really appreciate your reminder, but I'm afraid I don't have any writing utensils on me right now-"

A calligraphy brush, an ink stick and an ink stone promptly bounced off of his forehead in rapid succession. The seemingly klutzy Captain barely caught everything before they clattered to the floor, and he was so inured to this behavior by now, he barely even reacted in shock to his Lieutenant's petulant treatment. "Ah, that's really thoughtful of you, Hiyori-san. Thanks."

The young girl just harrumphed and crossed her arms over her chest, sticking her nose in the air and pretending not to acknowledge his friendly gratitude. Smiling wryly, her Captain set out the paperwork on the table and prepared the writing instruments for use.

Shinji was disgusted by how passively Kisuke accepted Hiyori's brattish antics, though. He wiped his face with the sleeve of his haori and glowered at the smaller blonde. "Why are you still up, anyway?" he grumbled. "Isn't it well past your bedtime already?"

He was obviously looking for a fight, and she was more than willing to oblige him. "Shut up, baldy! I ain't a kid! Don't go treatin' me like one!" Hiyori stomped over to the long-haired blonde and wasted no time kicking him hard in the shin. He swore loudly and immediately lunged for her, but she was small and agile, and more than quick enough to evade him, taunting him all the way. A slew of undignified name calling and dubiously decorous actions promptly ensued between the two high ranking officers of the illustrious Goteijusantai.

Meanwhile, Kisuke just continued to read through the documents and blithely ignored the duo as they capered around the pavilion. He tactfully pretended not to notice how his fellow Captain's level of maturity seemed to have abruptly dropped by several orders of magnitude as the expertly skilled warrior resorted to downright juvenile techniques of hair pulling and cheek pinching, just as he turned a blind eye to his Lieutenant's completely insubordinate behavior of biting, head butting, and the completely unsportsmanlike mule kick between the legs she favored.

Hiyori wiggled free from Shinji's hold, cackling victoriously as she did so.

"Hah! Maybe you should be 'ta one 'ta go 'ta bed early, hage Shinji! Ya can't even handle a Fukutaichou; yer gettin' rusty, old man!"

"O-Old man!" Shinji sputtered in disbelief, before his golden eyes narrowed and he looked very insulted. "I'll show you 'old man,' you little-!"

The younger blonde just scowled back fearlessly and stuck out her tongue at him. That proved to be a mistake, for quick as lightning, his hand shot out and he caught hold of the small, slick muscle, his long, narrow fingers pinching her tongue securely and not allowing her to retract it back into her mouth, much to her muffled squawk of displeasure.

"Who's the rusty one now, huh?" the Gobantai Taichou gloated, ignoring her futile attempts to free herself as he turned to the other Captain. "Hey, Kisuke! See what I just caught!"

The tousled blonde raised his head and looked at the two. Shinji appeared ridiculously smug as he continued to lightly taunt his squirming catch, and Hiyori was fit to be tied as she tried to hit him only to be defeated by her own short reach and awkwardly incapacitated position.

"Hirako Taichou, I think you should let go of Hiyori-san. It will be bad if she starts crying."

"Che. Don't you know? Monkeys don't cry," Shinji retorted simply, though he released her all the same, but not before childishly wiping his slimy fingers on her shihakusho. Hiyori quickly took offense to that, and wasted no time grabbing his arm and sinking her sharp little fangs into her tormentor. Shinji yelped.

"HIYORI!"

Kisuke just sighed and continued to put his signature on the required pages. The sooner he finished this, the sooner he could get those two separated, and hopefully without too much bloodshed on either end.

Having exacted her revenge, the pigtailed blonde finally let go of the stupid baldy and backed away, spitting and sticking out her tongue in exaggerated disgust. "Yeaggh! Yew thaste howwible!"

Nursing his poor bleeding arm, Shinji glared at the little barbarian. "I do _not_ taste horrible!"

Before either man could stop her, Hiyori grabbed a saucer from the table and immediately tossed it back in a single swallow, mistaking its clear, transparent contents for water. Not surprisingly, the potent sake burned all the way down, and the experience completely shocked the young girl, who had never taken a drink of any sort of alcohol before. Coughing from the fumes, her eyes watering and her tongue tingling from the high grade rice wine, her immediate instinct was to rid herself of the overwhelming taste as quickly as possible. The two Captains watched in surprise as she instinctively, frantically, reached for yet another filled saucer of sake, no doubt deceived by its watery appearance again in her hectic moment of need, and hurriedly poured it down her throat.

Shinji did not know whether to laugh or feel sorry for the brash girl when she realized that it wasn't water she had just drunk. Choking, her eyes bugging wide open, she gasped for air and staggered backwards, clutching at her throat as she gagged, her face reddening from her efforts to breathe through the alcoholic vapors.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" she bellowed indignantly the moment she was respiring properly again, looking so comically upset and ruffled as she did so, and the Gobantai Taichou could not help it any longer; he burst into laughter. While the man was busy laughing himself sick, Kisuke stood up and went forward to soothe his highly agitated Lieutenant.

"Ah, Hiyori-san, are you alright? You just gulped down two potent cups of sake-"

"THAT'S SAKE?! IT TASTES LIKE SHIT!" Shinji took one look at Hiyori's highly disgruntled features and snorted, his shoulders shaking as he clapped his hand to his mouth and snerked, all but crying with mirth.

"That's because this type of sake's not meant to be guzzled like that, Hiyori-san-"

Hiyori eventually noticed the stupid baldy standing behind her Captain, who was taking way too much joy in her misery, and feeling extremely embarrassed and stupid, she wasted no time jumping at the annoying male, snarling as she did so.

"STOP LAUGHING. WHAT'S SO FUNNY, YOU-"

Despite his overwhelming amusement, he was able to catch her singlehandedly as she pounced angrily on him, dodging her infuriated swing at his head and snatching her out of midair before she could launch another attack at him. Wrapping a firm arm around her middle, he easily subdued her and held her dangling on her stomach by the side of his hip, much to her increasing outrage. The sudden blood rush to her head ensured that she did not struggle too hard, even though she spat and hissed and tried rather ineffectually to hit him.

Kisuke looked rather dismayed as he went up to the other Captain, who was still smirking with unholy glee. The latter pointed with an elegant finger at the disgruntled, growly girl he was holding. "Ya missin' an angry little monkey, Kisuke?"

The Juuniibantai Taichou crouched down before his Fukutaichou and studied her reddened, aggravated features. She was starting to appear quite flushed from his point of view, and he suspected that the slight amount of sake that she had ingested was already beginning to take effect on the senses of the small female. "Hiyori-san, it seems you have never drunk alcohol before. Try to calm down a bit, alright? We don't know how good your tolerance is and being agitated is just going to further exacerbate your condition."

Surprisingly enough, Hiyori actually quieted down obediently. She also stopped struggling and instead just hung limply in Shinji's hold. She was still frowning somewhat though, obviously discontented with her current situation, but she was giving in grudgingly enough, and so the Fifth Division Captain set her back down on her feet.

"Are you feeling okay, Hiyori-san?" her commanding officer enquired with concern, and she slowly looked at him. Her cheeks were flushed and her pupils looked slightly dilated, but she seemed completely lucid even though she had fallen strangely silent. Kisuke was torn between wanting to make sure that his subordinate was alright and the pressing need to finish up the paperwork – they really needed that equipment tomorrow – when Shinji intervened.

"Finish your work, Kisuke," the long-haired man said, mild amusement still lacing his lazy tone. "I'll watch the brat for ya."

They both waited for an explosion from the abovementioned brat, and were both slightly taken aback when she didn't even made a peep. A bit concerned, Kisuke quickly went back to the rest of his documents, intent on getting them done as quickly as possible. Shinji just eyed the girl, and then he slowly herded her to a seat. Surprisingly enough, she put up no protest whatsoever and just sat quietly on the stone chair, her gaze lowered as she glowered at her folded hands on her lap.

Shinji poured some sake into one of the abandoned saucers and took a sip from it, studying the unusually still and silent girl before him. What a weird little thing, he thought. She was also evidently so easily inebriated that it would be funny if it wasn't so alarming. "So you're a quiet drunk, eh?" he commented idly by way of small talk, though she did not even look up at him. "I thought that you'd be one of those crazy little firecrackers for sure, but you're just kinda…_boring_, aren't ya?"

"Hirako Taichou," Kisuke sighed from his side of the table. "Please don't tease Hiyori-san too much."

Shinji rolled his eyes. "Geez, you're like a mother hen, Kisuke. And how many times must I tell you to dispense with the formalities?"

Kisuke had to smile at that. "More often than I can count, Hirako Taichou." The tousled blonde proceeded to put his signature on the last approval form after reading through it swiftly, and then he gathered up the paperwork and went over to his Lieutenant.

"Hiyori-san? Come on, I'll take you back to Twelfth Division Barracks first." He reached out as if to grasp her arm, but she flinched back sharply from him, looking at him with huge, distrustful eyes.

"Who are you?" she demanded suddenly.

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Yup, Bleach's Turn Back the Pendulum arc is hands down my favorite arc in the series, and I especially adore Hiyori and Shinji's chemistry; if you can't see it, then you really need to open your eyes wider, haha. Anyway, I hope that I have managed to capture some of their amazing dynamics with each other – I really had a lot of fun writing this chapter.

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According to Wikipedia:

Hanami (花見?, lit. "flower viewing") is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, "flower" in this case almost always meaning cherry blossoms ("sakura") or (less often) plum blossoms ("ume"). From the end of March to early May, sakura bloom all over Japan, and around the first of February on the island of Okinawa.

Hanami at night is called yozakura (夜桜?, literally night sakura).

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Just for reference's purpose, the events in this chapter (and the next) happened approximately one year after Kisuke became the Juuniibantai Taichou – hence he is still not very close with Hiyori yet.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Another thing: I do understand that the ShiYori fandom is very small, so I'm not exactly expecting a lot from the readers, but please, if you can, do help me to further improve on my writing. I really adore this obscure pairing very much, but I'm also still in the process of learning how to write (it's always a constant struggle/progression), so any comments and helpful criticisms from the readers are always, _always_ appreciated. Tell me what you like, what you don't like, or if you can't do so, then even a simple word of encouragement will do. Trust me; it will make my day to know that all the effort that I have put in writing the chapter has been at least acknowledged by someone.

I'm setting personal time aside and writing for the love of ShiYori, but you know, if I can't gain any insights that can help me improve on my writing, then I really don't see much point in continuously sharing my work on this website.

Reviews are food for the author's soul; feed me!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

And as always, thanks for reading!

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Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	11. Chapter 11

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 4364

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 30/07/13

**Completed on:** 31/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 21/08/13

* * *

**Hiyori, Drunk – Turn Back the Pendulum Edition, Part II**

* * *

The two men just stared at the small pigtailed blonde, momentarily nonplussed. Then, they exchanged brief glances with each other.

"Hiyori?" Shinji called out then, his tone slightly cautious and lacking all of its earlier levity, and she turned her head slowly to him, blinking as she did so.

"Shinji?" She rubbed her eyes with her fists in a ridiculously cute manner and shook her head tiredly. "Where's Hikifune Taichou?"

The two Captains stared at her once again.

"Hiyori," Shinji spoke again, this time with deliberate slowness. "Kirio-san is no longer here. She joined the Zero Division, remember?"

There was a long pause, and then the men were mildly horrified when tears started to fill the young girl's eyes.

"Hikifune Taichou is…gone?" she whispered almost as if to herself, even as her unbelievably wide, unblinking eyes continued to drip water in the most pitiful manner. "She…left…Hiyori behind?"

This was quickly becoming completely awkward. Neither of the men were equipped to deal with crying females, especially not this one in particular. Shinji didn't even know that she possessed the tear ducts necessary for crying until today.

"Hiyori-san," Kisuke's voice was soft. "Hikifune Taichou didn't abandon you. She entrusted you to help me take care of the Juuniibantai."

Instead of being comforted by his words, Hiyori reacted as if he had just announced that he had murdered her entire family and then set fire to the house for good measure.

"You made Hikifune Taichou go away," she accused in a whisper, and Kisuke's face fell.

"_Hiyori_!" Shinji snapped sharply then. She had gone too far. "You are a Fukutaichou of the Gotei 13. Be aware of your position!"

His harsh tone made her stiffen in shock, and she looked at him with huge, vulnerable eyes. Her small mouth trembled, and then the waterworks really started. The guilt at upsetting the young girl was considerably immense, and Shinji felt his insides twist – she was not supposed to cry like that, damn it.

"Shinji, you meanie!" she yelled at him, and then she jumped up from her seat, intent to run off. She didn't make it very far; her inebriated state had completely affected her hand eye coordination and motor skills, and she wobbled about unsteadily like a little drunk (pun fully intended) before tripping and nearly falling flat on her face. The long haired blonde who had so offended her tender sensibilities reached out and caught her by the arm before she could take the painful face plant, pulling her upright and to him to steady her. He fully expected her to turn around to take a swing at him in retaliation (as was the usual scope of their interaction with each other), but instead, she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hiding her face against the side of his throat, and the way she shook against him made the rest of his earlier irritation dissipate completely. The brat was genuinely upset.

He sighed, and then he looked to her hovering, concerned Captain. "I'll take care of her, Kisuke. You better get that paperwork over 'ta Unohana ASAP."

The other blonde hesitated. "Are you sure…?"

Shinji rolled his eyes. "Tch. I've been dealin' with this little pain in the behind far longer than ya. I know what 'ta do." He raised a brow. "Or would ya like 'ta give it a go?"

Kisuke barely knew what to do with his touchy Lieutenant when she was her normal, grumpy self, let alone this weepy, overly sensitive version currently ensconced in Shinji's arms. Then, there was also the inconspicuous elephant in the room that was the utterly awkward subject of his predecessor, and Kisuke backed off.

"I owe you one, Hirako Taichou," the Juuniibantai Taichou mentioned gratefully, and the other Shinigami just lazily waved him off.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure 'ta collect one day," he retorted, and the other Captain finally excused himself after one last worried look at his sniffling subordinate. Shinji watched him leave, and when the latter was finally out of sight, he frowned down at the girl tucked against him.

"Oi." She did not respond, and so he poked her side mercilessly with a long finger. She flinched and pressed closer, hiding her face from his exasperated regard. "How much longer are ya gonna dribble all over my clothes," he demanded to know. "I never pegged ya 'ta be such a crybaby."

That taunt did the trick, for she at last lifted her head to frown at him. She looked damned pitiful to him, her eyes red rimmed and her long lashes clumping together from the tears. Her face and nose was bright red and dripping from her upset, and he pulled an exaggerated shudder. "Good God," he muttered with utter insensitivity. "You look even more like a monkey when you cry."

Instead of incurring her wrath and rage as his deliberately offensive statement typically would, her large, watery ochre eyes filled with such accusing hurt that it effectively made Shinji feel like he had just kicked a little kitten.

This was definitely _not _the norm of their usual interactions with each other.

She shoved away clumsily from him then, tottering unsteadily and nearly falling flat on her backside before she quickly regained her balance and lurched off. His ears caught the utterly heart wrenching sound of a muffled sob as she turned away, and for some reason or another, it made him feel like he had just been stabbed in the gut.

_Oh shit._

He was up and after her in an instant, and not surprisingly, caught up to her very quickly in her current state. He dropped an arm around her shoulder and very easily absorbed all of her struggles, making her stop and turning her around to look at him. Now she looked utterly wretched, and Shinji felt really bad for making her even more upset than she already was. "Sorry, brat," he told her gruffly. "That came out wrong; I went overboard. It's my bad."

Hiyori swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "You're a horrible person!" she cried, and he looked at her oddly for her uncharacteristically passive response. Then, she turned her face into his kosode and sobbed some more, her small hands grabbing onto the fabric as she clung onto him. He patted her head awkwardly.

"Ah, geez, you're such an emotional drunk," he muttered, but still he stood there lamely with her under the pavilion for a while and let her compose herself. "C'mon," he coaxed. "Let's walk for a bit; the fresh air might clear your head."

She shook her head. "Can't," she muttered against his uniform. "Legs feel wobbly." There was a pause as they both contemplated what to do next, and then she suddenly demanded. "I wanna piggyback."

He looked down at her like she was crazy. "_HUH?!_"

But her ridiculously enormous, liquidy eyes were already starting to fill with tears again, and Shinji was desperate to make her stop before she could start again.

"Alright, alright! Just quit it with the damn crying already!" Kisuke owed him big for this, the Gobantai Taichou thought disgruntledly as he strode forward and hunkered down grudgingly before the smaller female. The blonde Captain wondered if he was going to have any dignity left after this evening. Somehow, he really doubted it. Whoever has heard of a Taichou piggybacking a Fukutaichou of another division on a whim? It simply wasn't done, even though this particular Fukutaichou was just a bratty little runt. But he had upset her earlier, so clearly this was his penance to her. She climbed onto his back and snaked her arms around his neck, tucking her chin over his shoulder as she got herself comfortable, and on his end, he hooked his arms behind her knees, made sure that she was secure, and then they were off.

She was so small that she weighed next to nothing to him, but she was warm and tangible against his back, and for once in that evening, she was quiet and seemed more or less content as she relaxed slowly and laid her head against the sloping curve of his shoulder and neck. He started to walk them back to the Fifth Division Barracks; there was no way he was going to carry her like this all the way across seven other divisions to the Juuniibantai – even though most of the Gotei 13 would likely be out celebrating Hanami and getting stone drunk, the chance of running into other Shinigami, not to mention the subsequent embarrassment, was still pretty high and he really didn't want to try his luck. Hiyori was just going to stay over at the Gobantai until she either sobered up enough to return on her own or Kisuke came to pick her up, whichever came first.

They had just passed through the deserted back gates of his division when her arms tightened slightly around his neck and she snuffled into the side of his throat, the tip of her cold nose brushing against the warm skin under his well-defined jawline.

"What are ya up to now?" he asked without even breaking stride, turning down a familiar path that led to his quarters.

Hiyori sighed after drawing a deep breath.

"You smell good," she mumbled, seeming to have momentarily lost the mental filter between her thoughts and her speech.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't go around smelling people without their permission, you weird little thing," he retorted, though there was hardly any heat in his words. "You also better not be drooling on me either-"

She loosened an arm around him and reached out to touch his hair with fascination then. "You've pretty hair-"

"Yeah, yeah, tell me somethin' I don't know," he muttered. His long, flowing sheet of silky golden hair was a source of constant pride for him.

"-pretty like a princess," she finished sleepily, briefly rubbing her heated cheek against those cool, golden strands, then patting them with her fingers with haphazard affection.

Shinji paused at that, his eye twitching. "You're startin' 'ta piss me off, brat," he grumbled, before he got moving again. How low he had fallen, to be reduced to the rough equivalent of a pack mule. "And that little paw of yours had better be clean."

Her only response was to nuzzle even closer to him, instinctively drawn to his heat, and then she just rested her cheek tiredly on his shoulder. He turned his head to glance briefly at her and his eyes widened imperceptibly; he was not expecting her face to be so close to his, so much so that it completely filled his field of vision. Her catlike ochre eyes were soft and drowsy, and they glowed slightly under the moonlight as she watched him lazily, passively. There was an oddly attractive quality in the way she looked right then that grabbed his attention and refused to let go – her freckled cheeks were lightly smudged pink from the alcohol, a heavy lidded, sleepy look on her face, the dense, light blonde lashes framing her eyes that seemed impossibly long, the cherry red of her small, soft mouth–

Quite abruptly, Shinji was reminded of the fact that Hiyori was not a child anymore, that resting on his back was not the angry, hyperactive little monkey he had always imagined her to be, but, rather, a girl who was teetering on the cusp of womanhood.

And that _girl _was projecting such languid contentment and uncharacteristic _trust_ right now, her guard lowered and her usually prickly personality momentarily subdued by her inebriation. She looked so much softer and sweetly vulnerable at that moment, and he could not help but stare at her, partly in bafflement and partly in disbelief, but mostly in shock over the unavoidable realization that she was actually rather cute and unexpectedly charming in her own grumpy, onerous way – _and that he found it kind of appealing_.

She blinked slowly at him then, and it snapped him out of his obvious bewilderment. The sheer proximity to her did not help matters any, and Shinji immediately did the first thing that came to mind.

He let go of her.

Not expecting to be put down so rudely and abruptly, Hiyori promptly landed on her backside on the floor. Since she was a short little thing and he had quite the height advantage, it was a considerable fall down and she yelped when her bottom hit the ground rather jarringly.

"_What the hell was that?!_" The visibly disturbed and horrified man demanded unceremoniously, looking rather rattled as he turned around and pointed accusingly down at her.

Hiyori was not amused. "You dropped me!" she yelled back at him. "That hurts!"

"That's not what I'm talking about! Why were you looking at me like that?!"

The younger pigtailed blonde rubbed at her poor, bruised tailbone and frowned, genuinely confused. "Like what?" she questioned.

"Like you were-" Shinji broke off then, both unable and unwilling to elaborate further. He looked at her closely once more, and the sudden tension in his gut eased slightly when he realized that she did not seem half as beguiling or as attractive as he had clearly found her to be earlier. Perhaps he had just imagined the whole thing in the first place; he had consumed quite a bit of sake earlier, after all; yes, the whole incident must have just been the alcohol talking. That was some damn potent sake that Kisuke had brought over, if it had nearly convinced him that he actually found the little brat adorable and entrancing, even if only for the briefest of moments. That was all kinds of scary and it nearly gave him a minor heart attack.

Shinji pointed at Hiyori once more. "Just for the record, I have no interest whatsoever in angry, flat chested chibi," he blurted out snappishly. "And also, you're a hundred years too young for me to even-"

He cut himself off again, and was immediately irritated at himself for spouting nonsense. Hiyori was looking at him like she did not understand a word he was saying, and Shinji was starting to feel more than a little foolish for overreacting; she was still the same annoying little monkey he had always known – only his perception of her was slowly changing. Of course she would not know what had agitated him so, and besides, she was still drunk and was not in complete possession of her faculties.

Shinji quickly decided that he must have been more tired than he thought, if he was letting himself be so bothered by such obviously outlandish notions. It had been a long day, after all, and it was also getting quite late. The mild buzz he got from the alcohol earlier was also started to fade, leaving behind an increasing weariness that was encouraging him to seek his bed instead. The Gobantai Taichou barely refrained from the urge to rub his temples and sigh. He crouched down before Hiyori instead, and then extended a hand towards the still frowning girl.

"C'mon, Hiyori. S'getting late. Let's get ya settled in one of 'ta bunks for 'ta night."

Not surprisingly, the pigtailed blonde jerked away from him, refusing his offer to help her up. "No! You're just gonna drop me again, aren't you?" she accused, looking at him distrustfully with large, wary eyes. "You're so mean, Shinji! I didn't do anything to you!"

Well, that made him feel vaguely guilty, and he could not refute her charge; it was true that he had dropped her for seemingly no good reason from her point of view, and since there was no way in hell he was going to explain to her just why he had been startled into doing so in the first place, there was no choice but to placate her.

"Sorry. It's my fault; I got distracted and wasn't payin' attention. Now, c'mon, it's way past your bedtime."

She glowered at him. "I'm not a kid anymore! Stop treating me like one!"

Yes, he was indeed beginning to notice that, however reluctant he was to acknowledge it. He did not show his chagrin, though. "Really?" he deadpanned flatly instead. "I can't tell the difference at all; what with the way you're acting so much like one right now."

Then, before she could react, he reached out, snagged her by the back of her uniform and lifted her like she was just a fluffy little kitten. Hiyori immediately protested, yowling and flailing, but Shinji simply stood up and carried her along very nonchalantly. "I should have just done this in the first place," he commented to himself as he continued to make his way towards the living quarters of his Division, holding the smaller blonde at arm's length to keep himself from kicked or scratched. "Would have saved myself all sorts of unnecessary grief."

It didn't take Hiyori long to resign herself to the new, utterly humiliating form of transport, aware that there was nothing that she could do to stop the stronger male. It was fortunate that they did not meet any Shinigami along the way, though the moment he finally set her down in front of the residential building of the Gobantai, she immediately kicked him in the shin in retaliation and then wasted no time scrambling up to the roof on the second floor with a flash of shunpo and no small amount of innate agility, acting every bit like a disgruntled feline whose sensibilities had just been thoroughly offended.

Shinji swore loudly as pain shot up his ankle. "_Hiyori_!" he yelled. "I thought you said that you couldn't walk, you little brat!"

"Shinji, you idiot!" she shouted back down at him as she clambered clumsily up and over the roof. "Leave me alone!"

He was very tempted to do just that. It would be nobody's fault but her own if she fell from up there, but he had made a promise to Kisuke to watch the annoying little runt, and even though she was moving well enough, she didn't seem all too steady on her feet still, and so cursing under his breath, he took after her. She hadn't gone far, and he found her sitting at the furthest edge of the tiled roof, her back turned to him, hugging her knees to her chest and hunching into a little ball as she stared out sulkily at the expansive grounds below. They were looking over the training fields filled with blooming Sakura, the breathtaking riot of white and pink petals now kissed by the moonlight, the scenery of the silent, flowering trees an ethereal, glowing sight.

Against that magnificent backdrop, she seemed utterly small and lonely, and his irritation faded away. He couldn't quite find it within himself to yell at her when she looked like that. He ended up going up to her and taking a seat beside her instead, his long legs hanging casually off the edge of the roof, though she ignored him completely when he did so.

"I swear 'ta god; you're such a complete and utter pain," he muttered exasperatedly after a while.

She refused to say a word to him but turned away instead, though not before he glimpsed of the hurt glint in her eyes. Her shoulders were also starting to quiver, and obviously he had somehow trod on her tender feelings again. Dealing with this intoxicated, overly sensitive version of Hiyori hurt his head and was also messing up his perception of her, and Shinji was getting very exasperated and impatient with the entire situation. Not to mention, he was also tired and he wanted nothing more than to head straight to bed and completely banish from his mind everything that had happened tonight.

Resigned to his fate, the golden-haired Taichou grudgingly reached out, wrapped an arm around his companion's waist and hauled her reluctantly onto his lap. She struggled, of course, not expecting him to suddenly seize her like that.

"Shinji, what are you doing-!" she burst out in protest only for him to grab the back of her head with his hand and brusquely smoosh her face into the side of his neck. He went about the task as gently as a disgruntled rhinoceros and she squawked when her poor nose bumped hard against the ridge of his clavicle.

"Quiet, Hiyori," he snapped, and she was so utterly stumped by his incomprehensible action that she actually stilled and fell silent like he had instructed her to. Pressed so closely to him like she was, she could only see in her direct line of vision the long, elegant column of his throat and the slight protrusion of the Adam's apple that proclaimed him male. It was impossible to ignore his physical strength now that she was confronted by it in such a blatant way; his arm around her middle felt like a band of steel and his chest was just as unyielding. The differences between their bodies were both alarming and intriguing at the same time, and his musky, earthy scent surrounded her and filled her nose. He felt utterly solid and was also very warm, and he fascinated her enough that she was briefly content to stay put and stop fighting him.

"You better appreciate what comes next, brat, because I don't do this for just anyone," he grumbled. "So stop your sniveling already."

Then, before she could take offense to his gruff command, he opened his mouth and started to _sing_.

_"Sakura sakura_  
_Noyama mo sato mo"_

The hair at the back of her neck slowly stood up as the deep, steady resonance of his voice vibrated from his chest and went straight through hers, a low, smooth tenor that _flowed_ soothingly to her ears and quickly spread warmth through her insides, causing her to promptly forget about her earlier upset as her senses immediately attuned themselves to him and the sound of his voice. Stunned, her breath caught in her throat.

_"Mi-watasu kagiri_  
_Kasumi ka kumo ka"_

It didn't take her long to realize that he was singing a traditional folksong that was rather popular amongst the districts of Rukongai, a song that celebrated the season of Spring, a song of Hanami. Her catlike eyes slowly turned wide, but her body went instinctively lax against his. She had never heard him sing before, but his voice was utterly _comforting_, and it made her feel cozy and protected.

_"Asahi ni niou_  
_Sakura sakura_  
_Hana zakari"_

She wanted to see what he looked like when he was singing, so she curiously turned her face towards his in an attempt to view his profile. She failed, for he refused to even let her lift her head from its place against the side of his neck. His narrow but long-fingered hand was still cradling the back of her head, and with gentle but firm pressure, he kept her nestled against the crook of his shoulder, her nose pressed against his collarbone as he looked straight ahead at the grounds below them and continued the song without even missing a beat.

_"Sakura sakura_  
_Yayoi no sora wa"_

There was really nothing overtly special about the quality of his voice. His vocal chords were not specifically trained for singing, but the sound he produced was strong and lulling at the same time, and it soothed her like nothing had ever before. There was no hesitation in his song; he was not shy or self-conscious about his voice, and that calm, steady confidence showed in his lyrical adaptation of the traditional tune. It relaxed her, and she further settled into his hold.

_"Mi-watasu kagiri_  
_Kasumi ka kumo ka"_

A deep seated sense of contentment slowly crept over her, and with it came a lazy drowsiness that calmed her even further. Her head rested against his shoulder, her ear pressed against his chest. The comforting reverberation of his quiet singing voice made her sigh softly, and she sleepily rubbed her cheek against the fabric of his kosode, going limp as she leaned further into him, her eyelids slowly slipping, going half-mast. There was a mesmerizing quality in the way he sang to her, and she was being completely sedated and brought under by him at the same time.

_"Nioi zo izuru_  
_Izaya izaya_  
_Mini yukan"_

The song came to an end at last, but he continued to carry the tune, humming it lazily like a lullaby, and her small hands slowly fisted into his uniform, as if directly absorbing this cherished feeling of safety and warmth from him. She was no longer resisting him, and his hand slowly shifted from a restraining hold against her head to a looser, relaxed grasp, absently stroking her hair instead, his touch further soothing her as she sank further into slumber.

Shinji sat on the edge of the roof with Hiyori curled on his lap, and he continued to lull her with the sound of his voice as he quietly appreciated the short-lived beauty of the cherry blossoms that lined the training fields below. It was tranquil and peaceful for once, and by the time he finally let the song fade, his little burden was already fast asleep. He looked down at her slumbering so trustingly against him for a while, and then he maneuvered her carefully until her head was resting against the cradle of his bicep, exposing her face to the soft moonlight. Her surprisingly delicate features were serene in sleep, lacking her usual aggressive cockiness and rather off putting ferocity, and this time around, it did not shock him as much to once again discern the faint promise of her maturing beauty; it was something that he had always known subconsciously after all, if he had to be perfectly honest, only he had never felt the need to acknowledge it – until now.

With exquisite gentleness, the Fifth Division Captain tucked his charge back against his chest and then just as carefully shielded her sleeping face behind his haori. He sighed and looked out to the beautiful moonlit night.

"You're gonna be a really troublesome brat soon, aren't ya, Hiyori?"

* * *

**Omake**

Kisuke was smiling with relief when he went to the Fifth Division Barracks to retrieve his Lieutenant an hour later.

"Thank you for your help, Hirako Taichou," the scientist sounded appreciative and grateful as he stood outside the personal quarters of his fellow Captain.

"Yeah, yeah. You owe me big." Shinji appeared at the door with a sleeping Hiyori in his arms and he wasted no time handing her back to the care of her commanding officer.

Kisuke awkwardly accepted the burden of the young girl.

"She fell asleep slightly less than an hour ago," the other Captain remarked casually. "Will probably be out like a light 'till tomorrow mornin'."

"Aa, alright. I'll put her to bed as soon as we get back to the barracks," Kisuke promised. Then, he asked. "Did anything untoward happen?"

Shinji paused at that. "Nah, nothin' happened," the long-haired blonde replied at last. "She tired herself out and fell asleep in the end. And Kisuke…"

The man's slightly ominous tone towards the end caught Kisuke's attention.

"Yes?"

The Gobantai Taichou scowled. "Whatever the brat says happened when she wakes up is not true. Are we perfectly clear?"

Kisuke barely refrained from the urge to lift his brow at the other Captain's comment. "But Hirako Taichou, when you put it like that-"

"_Nothing. Happened_." Shinji snapped. "And we'll never speak of this evening ever again."

And that was that.

"…Of course, Hirako Taichou," Kisuke responded politely at last, inwardly amused by the man's stubborn insistence. "I'll make sure to keep that in mind."

And when Hiyori woke up the next morning, nursing a terrible headache and in a viciously horrendous mood, she remembered nothing at all from the night before.

"I don't know! Nothin' happened!" Hiyori snapped when Kisuke enquired curiously, much to his increasing intrigue.

So, what really happened?

It was a question that would remain unanswered for the next one hundred years, at least until the next time Hiyori-san accidentally got drunk and Kisuke recalled that bemusing event again.

"So, Shinji," the Urahara enquired lightly the next time he saw the reinstated Shinigami Captain. "I'm really curious; what actually happened between you and Hiyori-san during _yozakura_ that time in Seireitei?"

It took Shinji a while to figure out what Kisuke was asking about. The man quickly flushed and sputtered.

"I already told ya; nothin' happened! What kinda pervert do ya take me for! She was only barely legal back then!"

Kisuke arched a brow, still lightly teasing the visibly flustered male.

"Ah, so you _did_ notice her even back then. How _scandalous_."

Shinji was completely red now, and his mouth just opened and closed like a fish as he floundered about for a reply. Kisuke snapped his fan shut and smiled knowingly at his old friend before he strolled away.

"Don't worry, Shinji, I'll keep your little secret."

"Damn you, Kisuke! Get your ass back here!"

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

So, around one hundred years ago, we have Shinji, who's kind of confused about what to make of Hiyori and clearly in the first stage of denial, haha. I feel a bit sorry for him to be caught in that sort of predicament, but at the same time, it was really fun to write this chapter, so I was pretty much enjoying his dilemma a little too much.

Also, I hope that the poor guy doesn't come off as vaguely creepy or pedophilic to some of you readers – Shinji's just starting to notice that Hiyori's maybe/sort of/kind of cute and appealing; he obviously doesn't have any other intentions beyond that realization. I think that's perfectly normal; even I walk past girls down the street sometimes and mentally acknowledge to myself that some of them are pretty cute – it doesn't really mean that I want to run right up to them to grope and molest them.

…FYI, I'm female, by the way, not that gender really matters in this sort of things.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Just to make things clear, Shinji and Hiyori's romantic relationship only really started to develop decades (more or less) after this event, and by then, Hiyori's clearly older, and has grown into a matured young woman capable of making her own decisions and doing whatever she wants.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

I judge Hiyori's physical age in the Turn Back the Pendulum (TBTP) arc to be roughly around 14 to 15 years old, a teenage girl teetering on the edge of womanhood. She just happens to look very young, and her naturally small stature makes her appear even younger. The youthful appearance thing is actually quite common around here in Asia, especially for girls. Most of us are pretty scrawny and small sized/underdeveloped at that age, and are therefore usually perceived to be even younger than our actual age. Believe it or not, this misunderstanding sometimes persists even when we are already in our twenties.

The reason why I'm implying in the omake that Hiyori was barely legal (a century ago) is because the age of consent in Japan **ranges from 13 to 18 years old**, depending on the jurisdiction and the prefecture you happen to be in. I kid you not. Yes, it's pretty confusing, and, apparently, I think it's also perfectly legal to engage in sexual relations with these minors (still below the age of 18 but above the apparent age of consent) as long as they are not being paid for it (i.e. not doing it for prostitution). So there you go.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

As for the piggyback scene, I really couldn't help myself but write it down after seeing so many adorable and pretty fanarts of TBTP!Shinji carrying TBTP!Hiyori on his back. I hope I did the scene justice – it's one of my more favorite parts in this chapter, I have to admit.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

…and yes, Shinji's hair is pretty like a princess. A Japanese Court Princess of the Heian period, to be precise – even the hairstyle is rather similar, in my opinion.

Just for the record, Shinji is not amused by the comparison.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

I hope that after this installment you readers can understand why I 'randomly' chose 'Sakura Sakura' to be their song in Chapter 9. Shinji sang it to Hiyori first, a hundred years ago, during Hanami, the season of Spring – the season of Sakura.

I was tempted to pick out some random Jazz song to use at first, but technically, Jazz wasn't even invented yet back then, so the timeline was a bit iffy. Not to mention, early Jazz songs were all in English, and Seireitei has a rather traditional Japanese theme to it, so in the end, 'Sakura Sakura' just sort of fit better all around.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Another thing to mention is Hiyori's personality changes when intoxicated. For those who are curious, her level of childish/girlish petulance (or dere dere-ness) increases in direct proportion to the amount of alcohol she consumes. So, yes, there's a very distinct possibility that she may sink to incomprehensible levels of childishness if completely and utterly tanked. (I'm actually kinda tempted to write a chapter of drunk!childlike!Hiyori, but that may just be a bit too much crack for this fic, which is already pretty crackish on its own, ahaha.)

**xXxXxXxXxX**

New arc next chapter! We will be returning back to present 'Lily and Thistle'-verse, if that even makes any sense.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Last but not least, a really warm word of thanks and appreciation to all of my kind reviewers. I admit that I was pretty worried about my characterization of the Bleach characters since I'm still new to writing for this fandom and this couple in particular, and am therefore still feeling my way around them. That's one of the main reasons why I was asking for feedback as well – you guys, do let me know if the characterization feels too 'over the top,' so as to speak.

Of course, I will also be incorporating my own personal spin to the characters according to how I perceive them (and since this is also a romance fic, there will obviously be more romantic aspects compared to the typically shounen-geared canon-verse), but sometimes I fear I may get too enthusiastic with my shipping feels and will require to be checked back every once in a while, so take note, readers!

Also, of course, it's always nice to have one's work validated, so come say hi to me if you enjoyed the chapter! I'm always open to ShiYori discussions – this fandom is kind of small and quiet, and I'm always having trouble finding likeminded individuals to appreciate our mutual interests (read: fangirl) with.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

And as always, thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	12. Chapter 12

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3712

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 03/08/13

**Completed on:** 04/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 25/08/13

* * *

**The First Step Is Always the Hardest – Part I**

* * *

One day, he handed her a Soul Ticket.

She recognized it for what it was immediately, and her face visibly darkened in reaction. Not surprisingly, she quickly tried to shove it back to him, but he would not take it back.

"No, brat," he told her firmly. "This is yours. Lisa, Love and Hachi has each received theirs, so quit bein' so difficult and just keep it."

She started to look downright obstinate and furious then, but he caught her hand and closed his own larger one over it, stilling her struggles. "This is not an order to return to Soul Society; it's merely a means for you to come visit if you wanna."

"Why the hell would I wanna go back _there_?" she snapped, her tone bristling with hostility.

He just looked at her.

"I live there too, ya know," he remarked simply, and she stiffened.

"You're just tryin' 'ta make me go back to Seireitei," she accused.

He did not deny it. She had always been quick on the uptake, and it wasn't as if he was being very subtle about this issue.

"I'll settle for just gettin' you comfortable with the idea for now," he replied, and she looked so angry with him that he quickly tightened his hold on her, just in case she decided to deck him right there and then.

"We're _Souls_, Hiyori," Shinji emphasized calmly, matter-of-factly. "Kisuke has done a great job designin' the Gigai for our use, but we're not meant to remain in the Living Realm indefinitely. Sooner or later, you have 'ta return 'ta Soul Society – you _know_ that, Hiyori."

Of course she knew. The dead had no place in the affairs of the living, and if not for their forced exile from Soul Society over a century ago, the entire lot of them would never have come to live in the Human World in the first place. Also, even though Hiyori was starting to let go of her resentment towards Shinigami and the Goteijusantai in general, the emotional wound from being so callously betrayed and abandoned by the organization that she had devoted herself to so loyally still hurt. They had all been so easily cast aside like garbage, not even given a fighting chance to prove themselves – ordered for execution like they were just mindless monsters even when they had been nothing but innocent. She could never understand how Shinji, Kensei, Rose and Mashiro could so easily put aside all the grievous wrongs that had been dealt to them to return to the Gotei 13 like nothing had happened.

The pigtailed blonde shoved her lover away from her and backed away, visibly balking at the idea of his intentions.

"I won't go back," she blurted out fiercely. "I'll never go back."

She looked visibly upset now, her eyes reflecting a mulish but increasingly trapped expression, and he knew that she would lash out once he had her cornered in this matter. He was not backing off though; this was something that she had to come to terms with eventually, and out of the other four Vizards who had chosen to remain in Karakura town, he had known that she would be the one to resist it the hardest. The ghosts of their past haunted her the most; she was such a passionate being, and she always felt things harder than the rest of them. It was her greatest strength and weakness; both a gift and a curse.

Shinji followed after her retreating form and reached for her again. She tried to slap his hands away, hissing defensively as she did so, but he persisted, catching her and drawing her close.

"Hiyori," he spoke her name quietly, his golden eyes resting steadily on her tensed form. "Listen 'ta me; let the past go. Don't blame the entire Seireitei for what happened to us just because of one bad, uninformed decision by a mere few. You're only hurtin' yourself like this, luv."

But the smaller blonde just kept silent in his arms, and it was a testament to her current level of agitation that she did not even take him to task for referring to her with an endearment. Sighing, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. It was obvious that another approach was in order.

"Come 'ta Seireitei for a visit," he coaxed softly against her ear. "You don't have 'ta stay for very long if ya don't wanna, but at least come see for yourself…there's nothin' 'ta be afraid of."

Sure enough, she stiffened, quickly taking offense at his words.

"I'm not afraid," she snapped in affront, pushing away from him to give him a positively deadly scowl. Then, those sparking ochre eyes turned guarded. "Don't think that ya can manipulate me so easily, fuckin' baldy! If I say I'm not goin', then I'm fuckin' not goin'! The hell do ya think you are?!"

She was getting all worked up again, but he remained calm in the face of her growing fury.

"I'll wait for ya," he told her evenly, cutting her off before her volatile temper could escalate further. She stared at him in disbelief, and he continued. "Next Saturday. At my private quarters in the Fifth Division Barracks. We'll go 'ta that yakiniku restaurant that you liked so much in the 15th District, and I'll let ya stuff your face with however much ya can eat. Then, we'll spend the rest of 'ta day doin' whatever ya want."

Hiyori started to scowl. "Are ya hard of hearin' or somethin'? I said I'm not goin'-"

"You'll come," he responded simply, much to her growing ire. "And do ya know why?"

She glared at him, but he merely met her angry gaze with steady confidence.

"Because the brat I know will never allow herself 'ta lose 'ta her fears."

She froze briefly at his frank reply, and then, the anger really took over.

"_Fuck you_, _Shinji_." This time, there was nothing but pure vitriol in her tone, but he took on her rage placidly, and that just made her even more furious.

"It's a date, then," he nonchalantly replied. He didn't try to touch her anymore, because he knew that she would hardly welcome his embrace in her current state of mind.

"Don't push me," she growled lowly, warningly. She had been deftly outmaneuvered by him, and she did not appreciate it one bit. "You won't like it if you force my hand."

Shinji just stared at his highly defensive, visibly bristling lover. All of her mental walls were coming right up, shutting him out, but he had more or less expected this conversation to turn out like this, best case scenario included. "I'm not your enemy, Hiyori," he told her with utmost gentleness, and the hidden tenderness in his tone briefly settled her wildly lashing temper. The vicious fire burning in her eyes faded slightly, but her posture was still rigid, angry and distrustful.

"Also, I won't be comin' over to the Living World anymore until we get this sorted out," he stated, and she stiffened again, her eyes flashing. It was clearly an ultimatum – he was leaving her no choice at all.

"Good," she hissed at last, her tone rife with pride and hostility. "Get 'ta hell out and don't come back. I don't need ya around anyway."

He knew that her words were clearly spoken in the heat of anger, but of course they still hurt. He smiled humorlessly at her.

"That's kinda funny, brat, because you're more important 'ta me than anythin' else I know."

She looked like he had just slapped her hard across the face. She started to shake, and he had to steel his heart against that vulnerable expression in her eyes, peeking through her defenses no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

"I won't come no matter what you say," she whispered at last, the Soul Ticket crumpling in her fist. "_I won't come_."

"Hiyori," he replied softly, ignoring her stubborn litany. His golden eyes pierced hers with quiet intensity. "I'll be waitin'."

He left her standing there, helpless and angry, as he turned resolutely and departed for Seireitei.

* * *

When the fated day came and went, Shinji wasn't completely surprised that Hiyori hadn't showed.

He could not deny that he was disappointed, but he had already known that it was going to take more time than a mere week to wear down her resistance. His lover possessed a stubborn streak a mile wide, and she had also never been too good at dealing with change. She had had the hardest time adapting to life in the Living Realm out of all of them at the beginning when they were exiled from Soul Society over a century ago, and she had also had the most trouble subduing her Inner Hollow as it wreaked havoc all over her usually ordered existence. Of course she was going to put up one hell of a fight now that he was trying to get her to return to the place that had been the start of all of her trauma and nightmares, to walk amongst the people and old friends who had abandoned her and left her for dead when she had gotten in trouble and act like nothing bad had ever happened.

She had always been honest in her passion, completely transparent about her likes and dislikes, and that was one of the many things that he loved about her. With Hiyori, what you see is what you get; if she was happy, then she was happy, and if she was not, well, somebody was going to be in for a vicious beating in very short order. She was also incredibly loyal to a fault, and once her trust was secured, it was good to last so long as the bond was not excessively abused or cruelly betrayed. Still, she was hardly perfect though, and possessed more than her share of faults; she was short-tempered, violent and extremely volatile at times, but she was still his brat, and he would not have her any other way.

This current situation was incredibly…unpleasant though, for the both of them. He was not thrilled to use his relationship with her in such a manipulative manner, but it was the only hand that he had available to use – subtle passivity would never work on her in this case, and he had no other choice but to whip out the big guns. He was about the only thing in Soul Society right now that could serve as a remotely passable 'carrot' to entice her over – her dislike and distrust of Soul Society was something that she had to learn to get over eventually, and the sooner he got her started on it, the better.

So now, the bait was set, and all that was left to do was to wait for her to take it.

Shinji was usually good with waiting though, but this time was going to severely test his patience. The stakes were considerably high, and he had also…grown used to having his brat around over the decades. Even though abstaining from her was not impossible, it was definitely going to be difficult.

The only thing that kept his resolve strong was the knowledge that she was his in every meaning of the word; he owned her heart just as surely as he owned her body, and he knew that their shared bond would lead her right back to him eventually, even if she fought against every moment of it.

He just had to _wait_.

* * *

The days dragged into weeks, and the weeks bled into months.

It was a silent battle of wills between them, a challenge of attrition to see who would give in first. She was proud and obstinate though, and he had known that she would not fold easily. But then again, he was no pushover himself – no matter how long this was going to take, he was already prepared to buckle down and wait it out. The seasons changed as he went on with his life in Seireitei, concentrating on his duties as the Gobantai Taichou and bonding with his new comrades, and the regular reports he received from Hachi and Lisa regarding Hiyori helped somewhat in that endeavor. His little lover was expectedly angry over the ultimatum that he had forced upon her, and she had been _furious at him _for the months that followed. He heard that she had quickly channeled all that impotent rage into training, throwing herself in a blind, headlong charge into improving her battle skills, and it was just like her to try to use physical force to tackle any problems that came her way.

"Kisuke's training a new stray," Lisa was commenting over the phone one day. "Hiyori decided to help; they are getting along well enough, all things considered."

"A new stray?" he asked. "I didn't know that there were still humans with Shinigami potential in Karakura, now that Ichigo is no longer in the Living Realm 'ta influence others with his spiritual powers."

It had been two years since the end of the Thousand Year Blood War, and the orange-haired young man was now living in Soul Society, lending his immense strength to the Gotei 13 by serving as the Captain of the Hachibantai.

"You do know that Kurosaki Isshin has three children, right? One of the daughters is showing remarkable aptitude, and the strength of her reiatsu is exponentially increasing as she matures. They decided to teach her how to use her powers before she inadvertently loses control and accidentally harms the people around her."

"And Hiyori's actually helpin'?"

"Yeah. She's been staying over at Kisuke's more often than not these days, so I think she got roped into it in the end. The experience is good for her, all things considered. She's starting to calm down a little."

"Well, that only took half a year," he muttered under his breath. It was a good thing that they were all such long-lived beings, but Shinji was not looking forward to having to wait decades for his lover to start coming around.

Lisa was completely unsympathetic though. "Quit bitching. You didn't even have the decency to stick around for the initial meltdown that the rest of us had to sit through after you pissed her off that badly."

"I was tryin' 'ta make a point," he defended himself halfheartedly. "The dramatic exit was necessary."

Lisa didn't even bother to comment about that stupid remark. "Is this all you're calling for?" she asked boredly then, clearly more interested in getting back to her new swimsuit magazine than speaking with this lovesick idiot.

"Yeah," Shinji muttered at last. "Keep me updated if there's anything new. Thanks, Lisa."

"Will do."

* * *

A year.

It had been an entire year since he last stepped foot in the Living World, and by now, Shinji was bored, jaded, and had more or less settled into a semi-permanent state of lethargic tedium as he fulfilled his duties to his Division. Life in Soul Society was unbearably slow and the rules that governed Seireitei particularly rigid and intolerant – there really wasn't much happening in the Gotei 13 when there wasn't a war or dimension wide emergency/invasion going on. He was more than a bit worn out and fed up with the direction of his life lately, not to mention feeling increasingly heart sore over missing his brat.

Work was an adequate distraction from his personal melancholy, and so he buried himself right in it. He was actually starting to like work so much that he was somehow in the running for the position of Most Hardworking Captain of the Year alongside with the Taichou of the Rokubantai and the Juubantai.

Work was good. Work kept him focused and grounded – even though he was feeling pretty damn miserable inside. It was Winter once again and the annual auditing and inspecting process had just drawn to a close, and he was completely and utterly exhausted.

"Hirako Taichou, I think you really should rest." Momo fluttered about her Captain anxiously. The man had been working nonstop in his office for the past few days and he looked very close to burning out. On the upside, the Fifth Division was now completely in the clear when it came to their bureaucratic responsibilities. On the downside, her poor Taichou looked like he was going to collapse from sleep deprivation very soon.

Shinji waved away her concerns absently. "Don't worry 'bout it, Momo-chan. Pass me the folder of recommended recruits graduating the Shinigami Academy next Spring. I might as well start lookin' through that list now."

The black-haired Lieutenant bit her lip in hesitation, pausing indecisively before she reluctantly moved to fulfill her superior's order. Two hours later, even that was done, and the golden-haired Shinigami/Vizard hybrid was starting to go through the Division's monetary expenses and other related expenditures for Spring's budgeting review when a sudden flare of reiatsu had him dropping his brush in surprise, splattering ink all over a pristine sheet of parchment. The achingly familiar spiritual energy was gone as quickly as it had appeared though, and momentarily dazed, Shinji wondered if he had somehow imagined it.

From the next desk over, Momo eyed her Captain curiously. He was wearing the strangest look on his face and his previously tired gaze was now sharp, snapping straight to the window, and at the same time, his posture was slowly becoming alert. "Hirako Taichou…? Is there anything wrong?"

Must to his disappointment, he failed to sense a thing after that. He must have been getting way too tired, if his mind was hallucinating Hiyori's presence.

"…Aa, it's nothin'. I was just woolgathering-"

Then, that reiatsu slapped him right in the face once more, this time even stronger than before and pulsing with vitality, and he was immediately half out of his chair in instinctive response. It was not a figment of his imagination.

_It was really her. _

The implications of her being here were immense, and Shinji was swiftly rounding his desk and heading for the exit in the blink of an eye.

"Hirako Taichou!"

"Sorry, Momo-chan, but I'm takin' the rest of the day off. I'll leave everything else 'ta ya," he muttered as he stepped quickly out of the doorway, not even waiting long enough to hear her reply, his Captain haori billowing out from behind him with urgency and purpose. He didn't feel particularly guilty for leaving his Lieutenant to finish up on her own; most of the work had already been done, anyway.

Right now, his attention was focused purely on the spiritual energy that was lingering ahead of him, and the moment he stepped out of the administrative wing of the barracks, he was immediately using shunpo, single-mindedly tracking it down. He did not have to go far, her reiatsu was radiating from his personal quarters a few buildings over and he was bursting through the door in the blink of an eye, swiftly striding down the hallway and entering his bedroom where he sensed her presence.

_And then there she was_, her petite silhouette framed by the window that she was standing in front of, still wearing that familiar red tracksuit with the pants that was rolled up to her delicate calves, her light blonde hair up in its customary pigtails. She had her back to him as she was looking at the view of the backyard outside of his window, but she quickly turned to face him the moment he approached, her catlike ochre eyes slightly guarded and apprehensive as their gazes converged on each other.

He stopped under the doorway and just watched her, hungrily drinking in the sight of her.

"_Hiyori_," he breathed, the tightness in his chest he didn't even know existed immediately easing at her proximity.

She did not look as pleased to see him as he did her, though. Her eyes hardened dangerously in response, and then, faster than he remembered she could move, she swiftly closed the distance between them by simply phasing right in front of him.

She also wasted no time socking him right in the gut.

_Oof. _He doubled over slightly as air wheezed out of his lungs; as usual, she saw no need to pull her punches with him. He didn't even know why he still bothered to be surprised by her violent greeting.

"That was for purposely leaving me alone for one whole year, asshole!" she growled fiercely, angrily to him. Before he could react to that, she reached out, grabbed him by his cravat, dragged him down to her level, and kissed him, hard.

He responded immediately, his pain promptly forgotten, surging up against her, his mouth parting to catch her tongue, quickly sucking the small slick muscle inside as he greedily plundered her lips with his own, drinking from her like a man about to die of thirst after a long sojourn through a dry, merciless desert. His hands came up to frame her face, tilting her towards him and holding her in place for his sweet ravaging, and by the time he finally let go of her mouth long enough to let her breathe, they were both panting hard. He leaned his forehead against hers, and then wrapped one arm around her small waist and pulled her close to him in a tight embrace. She did not resist him.

"Are ya happy now?" she demanded hoarsely, her eyes piercing his. "The only reason I'm here is because of _you_."

For her to say something like that was equivalent to a declaration of undying love and devotion coupled with a proposal of marriage. He wanted very, very badly to haul her off to bed right there and then to show her exactly how happy he was to hear her say that, but he just settled for kissing her again – for now.

"What took ya so long, stupid?" he growled back huskily against her mouth sometime later. "You're eight thousand seven hundred and sixty six hours late, brat. I'm demanding recompense for all this time that you made me wait, so don't think that you're goin' anywhere until I've completely had my fill of ya."

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

So, this is technically a post-Bleach chapter. Let's just assume that Ichigo is going to take over the empty Hachibantai Captaincy post, because I can't see any other reason why Kubo-sensei would leave that position empty if he's already foreshadowing Ichigo's future residency in Seireitei. I wonder who's going to be the Fukutaichou, though.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Yes, so the lovers were separated for a year. That might not seem very long, but if you're stuck in a cold war with your significant other and you have no way of communicating with and/or knowing what him/her is doing, that's really one damn long-ass year.

I was tempted to drag it out even longer (a decade should do it, since they are such long-lived beings), but I figured that it won't take that long for Hiyori to cave. She's quite an impatient individual after all (especially when her emotions are brought into the picture), and she would know Shinji well enough to understand that he wasn't going to budge from his stand once he made up his mind. So there you go.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Nothing much to add in this chapter, so I think I'm just gonna stop here.

I hope you guys enjoyed this installment, and to all my lovely reviewers for the previous chapters – thanks! You guys really made my day! =)

**xXxXxXxXxX**

And as always, thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	13. Chapter 13

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 4151

**Rating: **M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older) **SMUT WARNING!**

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 05/08/13

**Completed on:** 06/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 28/08/13

* * *

**The First Step Is Always the Hardest – Part II**

* * *

His haori and vest were already discarded and lying in a heap on the floor, his kosode rumpled and hanging half off of his broad shoulders as she straddled his lap and kissed him hungrily and with increasing need. They had quickly taken their bonding over to his futon, and while he seemed momentarily content to just gather her in his arms and hold her, pulling her flush against him and running his hands all over her with blatant affection, she was more impatient and was very quickly pushing for more.

"Your hair's longer," he commented with pleasure, freeing the light golden strands from their pigtailed confines and running his fingers through them. She arched and purred roughly under his touch. Her messy tresses fell softly past her shoulders now, as opposed to only reaching her chin as it had the last time he saw her. "You really grew it out."

There was also something else that was different. It was very subtle, but now that she was in his arms, he could tell very easily. "You're also a bit taller."

That could only mean one thing for Souls like them – her spiritual capacity had increased again, thereby forcing her physical height to shoot up by a couple of inches to adapt as well. That was a surprise to him; he had thought she was already done growing, but evidently, she was still not up to her full potential yet. Just what kind of training had she been up to in the last year?

Hiyori was not interested in idle chitchat right now, though.

"Dammit, Shinji," the horny and sexually frustrated young woman burst out. "Can ya shut up for a bit? Just lemme fuck ya, _now_."

As usual, she was not one to beat around the bush. It had been more than a year since they had last made love, and she was getting really desperate for his physical attention. While sex hadn't exactly been the main driving force behind the reason for her being here (it was still a pretty damn important consideration, though), now that he was so temptingly close by, his scent and presence tantalizing her and driving her absolutely crazy, Hiyori was abruptly reminded of all the empty nights she had spent without him to soothe her needs. All that sexual repression from all those unsatisfied, unfulfilled evenings had given rise to a flood of need and desire that was throbbing hungrily in her, and if he wasn't going to do anything about it, _then she would_.

She shoved him onto his back unceremoniously, following him right down onto the bed at the same time as she reached up and kissed him lustily. Her soft mouth sucked at his with hot, incredibly persuasive carnality that quickly had his blood heating up in his veins, and his focus immediately concentrated purely on the slight, delightful female wrapped in his arms. Her small, wet tongue probed demandingly against the seam of his lips for entrance, and then wasted no time pushing right past to boldly explore his oral cavity and then engage his own pierced one. He was more than happy to oblige her.

At the same time, her hands were tugging at his uniform frantically, trying to get him out of it as quickly as possible. She reached for his hakama-himo, hastily undoing the clothed ties around his waist and loosening his hakama, even as she broke away from their kiss to run her mouth erotically along his jawline and down his neck and chest, licking and nipping as she did so.

He groaned at her enthusiastic ministrations and reached out for her, but she quickly slapped his hands away. Hiyori was not in the mood to be teased any further by him, which was exactly what would happen if she let him touch her right now. "_No_," she growled out aggressively. "Just lie there and don't move."

He was more amused by her snappy, bossy order than anything, and he was also curious to see what she would do, therefore he subsided obligingly for now. She was not the only one who was eager to make love to her other half in this relationship, after all, but she had conceded no small amount of her pride to be here in Seireitei with him, and he was more than willing to let her have some semblance of control over this – for a little while, at least.

Hiyori quickly went back to kissing her way hungrily down his chest, acting very much like an angrily possessive little feline marking her territory as she went along the way, her small hands roughly pushing aside his kosode and under robe to reveal the rest of his lean and incredibly toned torso. She wiggled low over him to place little love bites all over his sleek, rippling abdomen and down the sides of his narrow, exposed hips, scraping at his skin with her teeth every once in a while and then laving at the reddened marks with her small, pink tongue as she did so. Not surprisingly, her deliberate attentions quickly made powerful, heady arousal rush through him like a giddy tide – despite his exhaustion, her mere touch and the feel of her soft mouth caressing his body was enough to make him grow very hard in response, and it was becoming increasingly difficult not to just grab her and roll her under him, to drive her mad with lust just as surely as she was doing to him right now—

She undid his fundoshi then, releasing his erection from the cloth confines. Lying on her stomach between his legs, she grabbed his rigid length with her hands and bent her head over it, sticking out her tongue and slowly and deliberately licking the highly sensitive, turgid organ from root to tip.

He nearly shot straight off of the futon in response, not expecting her to do anything like that. "_Hiyori_!"

She ignored his yelp and licked him again, a rapt and intent expression on her face as she ran her tongue up his length once more, and then she kept repeating her actions, doing it with such insatiable enthusiasm that it completely shook him. Her eyes locked with his mid lick, and the blatant gleam of sexual excitement in her eyes made him throb with responding lust. _Fuck_. He was actually more turned on by the titillating sight of _her_ giving him a blowjob than the act itself.

Then, she unhesitatingly engulfed him in the warm, moist heat of her mouth, and he nearly swallowed his own tongue as she immediately ramped up the temperature in the room. He was quickly perspiring, a low pleasured grunt escaping him as she sucked on him insistently like a lollipop, at the same time dragging her rough tongue along the hypersensitive underside of his penis as she moved her mouth up and down his stiff length for as far as she could manage. Her hands closed over the part of his shaft that she could not take past her lips, her small fists squeezing him hard and rhythmically, and he was so dazed by the pleasure of the act that he had trouble remembering his own name. At the rate she was going – her lips were wrapped tightly around him like a vacuum seal and that small, agile tongue of hers was doing all sorts of things to him that made him completely lightheaded – he was going to spend himself right in her mouth if he wasn't careful.

"Hiyori -_brat_, stop," he panted harshly, almost pleadingly, at last. "For all that's good and holy, _please stop_."

She looked at that pained grimace on his face and took pity on him. Releasing him from the exquisite torture of her sweet mouth, she pushed herself up to sit between his legs and slowly licked her lips, cocking her head curiously as she did so.

"Was it no good?" she asked huskily. "You don't like it? Yoruichi said that most men do."

He tried to catch hold of her then, intending to reciprocate and churn her into a lust-filled frenzy as well, but she evaded him nimbly.

"I do," he growled. "I liked it too damn much." He was going to have to find out how the hell the cat woman had taught her such techniques, but his little lover looked so pleased with herself that all he wanted was to lay his hands on her and love her so well that she became nothing more than a boneless mass of contentment and sexual satisfaction.

The time for playing was quickly coming to an end, and she seemed to realize it as well. He was lying in a complete disarray amongst the futon, his uniform crumpled around and under him in careless abandon, his golden eyes fixed on her, burning with such fierce desire for her that it made her quiver with anticipation inside. Meeting his fiery gaze unflinchingly, she started to shed her own clothes, kicking off her track pants, shrugging off her jacket and then pulling her white tank top over and off her head, revealing her sports bra. He sat up quickly as well, helping her remove her underwear and then reaching over to kiss her deeply and with such ravenous passion that she could only moan helplessly into his mouth. She tasted faintly of him, and it drove his senses into an utter frenzy as the urge to couple with her right away became overwhelming.

Tugging her panties free from her body, he tossed the tiny scrap of cotton to the side and wasted no time reaching between her legs. She had other ideas though, and pushed him back onto the futon before he could touch her. Now completely nude, she threw a slender, bare leg over his loins, kneeling between his narrow hips and reaching down to grasp his erection.

"Hiyori!" He tried to stall her. "You're not ready yet. Lemme touch ya first-"

She silenced him with a lustful look.

"I want you _now_, Shinji," she bit out, and it didn't really matter what else he said, for she was intent on getting her way. The petite blonde took his arousal in her hand and rubbed the tip languidly against the entrance of her body. She was already damp with excitement, and she bit her lips at the promise of pleasure that flirted with her senses as she slowly lowered herself onto the head of his penis.

Watching the way her small body slowly took in his rigid length was _erotic as hell_. She was still not quite slick enough yet to smoothly accommodate his girth, and so she had to languidly circle her slender hips to slowly, carefully, slide him even deeper inside of her. It ensured that she felt every single inch of him as she struggled to take him in, and her spine slowly arched as he filled her inside, her breath hitching, a flush growing on her face, her eyelashes fluttering as she concentrated on the utterly welcome sensation of taut pleasure as he invaded her sensitive inner walls and forced them to part and ripple helplessly around him instead. An arousing little sound escaped her throat, a mix of a whimper and a whine, and her knees went momentarily weak when he was finally fully hilted in her.

"_F-fuck_," she hissed out shakily, and he couldn't agree more.

She was so bloody tight after a year of sexual abstinence that he couldn't even concentrate on anything but the mesmerizing heat of her body and the way she was gripping him like a damn vice. She pressed a small hand against his chest for support as she gathered her legs under her. Crouching over him, she started to move, decisively lifting herself up and nearly dislodging his entire engorged erection from inside of her until its mushroomed head was rubbing teasingly against the entrance of her slick vulva, made exquisitely swollen and extremely hypersensitive from arousal, before quickly sinking back down and engulfing him within her grasping, moist channel once more. He grunted, but held himself back from reaching for her as she quickly worked out a pace and rhythm that suited both of their increasingly frantic needs for mutual sexual fulfillment.

Watching her ride him was one of the sexiest encounters that he had had the pleasure of participating in. She was explicitly arranged before his hungry, intent gaze, her legs spread wide apart with an utter lack of embarrassment or shame, and it gave him a front seat view to her that was so intimately exclusive that just looking at her was enough to get him incredibly high on lust alone. The wild, passion fogged glow in her beautiful feline eyes, the sensual little cries that she gave out, the utterly arousing look of focus on her face as she concentrated on him and the pursuit of their carnal pleasure, they all added to the amazing experience that came with loving Hiyori. She had always been completely forthright and open when it came to the physical nature of their relationship, and this time was no different.

The wet, erotic sounds of their mating filled the air. Hiyori reached down between her legs to touch herself, eagerly fingering the tight little nub of hypersensitive nerve endings sitting high over her labia even as she moved over him again and again with increasingly desperate abandon, intensifying her experience. Their eyes met and locked. She looked at him with alluring desire, a slight, naughty gleam in her ochre eyes as she smirked breathlessly at him and deliberately put on a show just for his benefit, licking her lips at the same time.

He groaned at her playful provocation and had to clench his fists into the futon covers to keep from making a grab at her. The little minx. She knew exactly what she was doing to him, and the utterly sensual way her body was clinging to him every time she sat him deep in her, the incredible friction that arose between them each time either of them moved, they all brought increasingly powerful waves of sexual pleasure rippling across his overwhelmed senses. She was so mind numbingly snug and it felt so good to be able to be so close to her again after their long separation.

Shinji did not think that he was going to be able to bear it for very long; it had been more than a damn year since he last had her, after all, and his commitment to their relationship had ensured that he kept perfectly faithful to her – to do anything else was simply unthinkable. He was well rewarded for his patience though; the maddening way that she was teasing him with her body was driving him absolutely crazy – and he was loving every second of it. He was going to lose it very soon, he was absolutely sure – but before it happened, he was determined to take her along with him for the ride.

Luckily enough, she was quickly getting close as well. His sheer presence and masculine scent was acting like a powerful aphrodisiac for her – no matter how she tried to deny it, she had missed him badly – and even hearing the sound of his voice right now, the simple acknowledgement of his heavy lidded gaze on her, they all ignited something instinctual in her and made her feel so horny and turned on that she could probably just get off on those heady sensations alone. His physical stimulations just further intensified those feelings, and the way his hard length was positioned to penetrate her ensured that he hit all the right spots each time she sheathed him inside of her, and by now, she had become so slippery from arousal that every rough thrust pushed her even nearer to the edge.

"S-Shinji," she shuddered helplessly, moaning out his name like a prayer, her movements quickening instinctively with her impending orgasm. "_Shinji._"

She was bracing both of her hands against his chest by now, leaning more into him for support, grinding against him desperately as the tendrils of sexual fulfillment gripped her tighter and tighter, and at last she broke her own resolve and closed that last few inches between them, kissing him in a needy manner.

Shinji saw it as his cue to finally make his move.

"Will ya lemme love ya properly now, brat?" he asked huskily against her mouth then, and shakily, she nodded.

He immediately snaked his arm around her small waist and held her close. She had been doing most of the work and now, he was more than happy to reciprocate. Kissing her hungrily, he pulled her flush against him and then reached down and tugged her legs up to wrap around his waist, spreading her wider apart so that he was even more deeply embedded in her than before. She keened at the sensation, and then he quickly reversed their positions, rolling them over on the futon until she was the one lying on it, his longer, larger frame easily dwarfing hers.

He liked having her under him – it was probably one of his favorite positions where she was concerned. She was such a feisty, spirited little thing, and it was always a pleasure to hold her close. She usually blustered a lot, but there was little she could do when he had her pinned, and he definitely appreciated the level of intimacy the position provided them both. Right now, she was completely drugged by passion – her small, impish face flushed, her feline ochre eyes dazed with lust, her mouth swollen from his kisses, her hair falling tousled around her like a golden halo. She looked utterly desirable to him, and kissing her deeply once more, he started to move.

She clung to him immediately, a sexy little mew escaping her mouth, her hips straining against his as she struggled to get him back inside of her, her legs tightening around his middle as she pressed close. She was such a demanding little lover, and she moved with him with such perfect ease and concert – her sheer responsiveness to him was simply addictive. He wasted no time picking up the pace of their lovemaking – thrusting right back into her with a swift, hard stroke, and then quickly repeating his actions, flexing his lean but powerful flanks to piston in and out of her with speed and dexterity.

Hiyori moaned against her lover's mouth. The way he always filled her to complete fullness felt simply amazing, and she was so painfully aroused right now that his actions were just adding to that delicious tension growing in her womb. Incredibly restless now, she pulled away from his kisses and pressed her face into the side of his neck instead, ardently licking and nipping at his throat with her tongue and teeth, her blunt nails digging into the back of his shoulders, and all but humping against him frantically as the spring inside of her wound tighter and tighter.

He growled lowly at the enticing way she was squeezing him, her sleek, rippling passage massaging his turgid erection so exquisitely and with increasing tautness that it was starting to become a challenge not to be affected. Like himself, she, too, was very near now – he could tell by the way she was quivering in his arms, how she was struggling to move with him – and it urged him to rock even harder against her, a response that she fully reciprocated with every answering twitch of her own hips.

And then, when a particularly deep thrust managed to nudge that elusive sweet spot inside of her, Hiyori jerked helplessly under him and very quickly started to come apart. Shinji immediately leaned over her and plugged her mouth with his own, swallowing her loud cries of pleasure and holding her tightly as she went wild under him, her body convulsing as her orgasm quickly overtook her senses. Her hot, slick channel gripped him hard, contracting around his rigid length with merciless pressure, and she arched into him with frantic passion. He was immediately caught in her sensual spell; the familiar tingling growing at the base of his spine simply became too intense to ignore, and with a couple more quick, erratic strokes, the all-consuming throes of her strong orgasm swiftly brought forth his own. Hilting himself deeply within her with a hard, pleasured grunt, he finally gave in to the persuasions of her sweet body, his lean, rangy form shuddering finely as he tensed and finally spilled his seed inside of her.

The entire experience was so intense that it actually _drained_ him. With a husky sigh, he collapsed unceremoniously on top of her, taking a brief minute to recollect himself as they both recovered from their sexual exertions. He eventually mustered enough strength to turn over to lie on the futon, and then he lazily drew the still lightly quivering form of his petite lover to him and affectionately nuzzled her. She was unusually passive for once, and she allowed him to cuddle her without putting up any sort of resistance whatsoever.

Much to his surprise and delight, she turned to him after a while and started to lightly kiss his neck in return, tiny, opened mouthed affairs up the side of his throat and to his jawline, with little hints of teeth and tongue every now and then. Her small hands also started to stroke his chest and whichever part of him that she could reach quite amorously, and it didn't take him long to understand that she was already asking for Round Two.

Shinji didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.

Groaning into her hair, he pulled her flush against him and caught her hands before they could wander too far. "Have mercy on me, brat," he mumbled at last. "I haven't slept a wink the last few days; at least let me take a short nap first – I promise 'ta take real good care of ya once I'm rested."

She peeked up at him, studying him intently. He did look a bit wan now that he mentioned it. She hadn't really noticed earlier over the sheer, giddy excitement of being with him after so long, but since he had taken the initial edge off, she supposed she could wait.

"We'll do it as many times as I want?" she asked unabashedly, and his golden eyes darkened slightly in response. She had never been too shy when it came to the physical aspect of their relationship, and exhausted or not, he was still a man and her obvious desire for him was such a turn on – especially since he wanted her just as much, if not even more. They had quite a bit of lost time to make up for, after all.

"Until ya can't even walk," he promised in a low, intimate timbre that had her slowly licking her lips in response, her ochre eyes dilating slightly with renewed lust. She was looking entirely too arousing for her own good and he groaned again. "You're gonna be the death of me," he muttered, pulling her close and lightly nipping her neck. She squirmed against him, quickly turning her head to kiss his mouth, obviously in an affectionate mood, and he allowed it briefly before he made her settle down in his arms.

"Stay with me," he demanded huskily in her ear, and after a bit of customary protests, she at last agreed.

"Ya promised 'ta take me out for yakiniku too," she reminded him then, and he looked at her rather dryly.

"Are ya really sure ya came 'ta Seireitei for me, or just for 'ta sex and free food?" he asked.

She pretended to pause for a moment to think before she answered him, and he growled, unamused. She could not help herself; she threw her head back and barked sharply with laughter.

"Just kiddin'." Sobering, she continued. "I wouldn't be here for anyone else, even if they were offerin' 'ta same things."

"Ya better not even think of it," he muttered, but her simple, candid reply pleased him, so much so that he felt the urge to demonstrate his overwhelming affection for her once again. "Oh, to hell with this."

He could always sleep later.

He rolled her onto her back then, and kissed her deeply once more, his hand reaching down between her legs to touch her intimately, much to her surprise.

"Shinji! I thought ya said that ya can't get it up anymore?"

Now his male pride was definitely dented, not to mention he was also feeling quite offended by her mistaken assumption.

"_I never said that_. I'm tired, not impotent, stupid. Now, be quiet and lemme love ya; I'll show ya how well I can 'get it up.' Can't get it up, my ass…"

* * *

**Omake**

Momo eyed the small blonde woman sitting across the table with no small amount of curiosity as the latter kept her head down and just concentrated on her meal. All around them, the Captains and Lieutenants of the Third, the Fifth, the Eight, and the Ninth, together with the two Fukutaichou of the Sixth and the Thirteenth, were gathered in a popular yakiniku restaurant in the 15th District for dinner and drinks after work. Not surprisingly, the proprietor had to cordon off a portion of the modest shop to accommodate the large amount of high ranking Shinigami, but food and sake flowed freely as multiple conversations were being held concurrently around the large table.

Kurosaki Taichou was arguing with Rukia-san again over at the other end of the table, both looking quite irritated, while Renji sat in their midst and mediated halfheartedly with no small amount of amusement. Beside her, Kira and Hisagi were engaged in a quiet discussion over the latest issue of the Seireitei news magazine with the ever effervescent Kuna-san jumping in every once in a while to interrupt, and last but not least, the other three Captains rounded out the group, sharing sake and idly exchanging quips as they did so.

Sarugaki-san sat close to the latter trio, right beside Hirako Taichou, in fact, though she seemed to pay no attention to them (or anyone else, really) as she contentedly consumed the slices of tender grilled beef piled on her plate. For someone with a relatively small stature, she possessed a considerable appetite, and she was already working on her third serving for the night. The petite female was also obviously close to her fellow Vizards, and Hirako Taichou would occasionally pick up pieces of cooked meat from one of the sizzling griddles at the center of the table with a pair of chopsticks and replenish her plate for her. Her Captain was obviously quite fond of the reticent young woman; even though the latter frowned at him for babying her so, he just looked amused and continued to ferry her food.

It seemed that the two shared some sort of bond that all the other Captains were aware of, judging by how they weren't even batting an eye over it. Momo's curiosity grew further. She wondered why Sarugaki-san had not visited Seireitei earlier with the other remaining unaffiliated Vizards - the dark-haired Lieutenant had already met Yadomaru-san, Aikawa-san and Ushoda-san a year or so back when Kyouraku Soutaichou gained permission from Central 46 to allow the Hybrids unrestricted passage between the two realms, but this was the first time that she had met the pigtailed blonde.

Momo was startled from her musings when sharp, feline ochre eyes suddenly pierced her soft, inquisitive doe brown ones.

"You've been lookin' at me for a while now. What do ya want?" Hiyori demanded rather abruptly.

The Gobantai Fukutaichou flushed with chagrin at being caught. The female Vizard had not even been looking at her, but had somehow noticed her staring all the same. The rumors she had heard of the blonde being an ex-Fukutaichou were starting to have a ring of truth to them.

"Sumimasen, Sarugaki-san!" the dark-haired young woman politely apologized, bowing her head slightly at the same time. "Anou.. I was just wondering why you weren't here with the other Vizards last year…? I'm just a bit curious; you don't have to answer if you don't want to, really!"

Hiyori just eyed the Shinigami neutrally as she chowed down on her grilled beef. This was the baldy's new Lieutenant. She was definitely an upgrade compared to his last one (who had stuffed a Hollow in each of them, had them all summarily exiled and pretty much screwed all of them over), and she was quite obviously the cute and feminine sweetie pie type, what with her pretty looks and eager to please demeanor. For some reason, Hiyori was suddenly feeling very irritated.

"…I don't like Seireitei," she muttered curtly at last, leaving the other girl to draw her own conclusions as she continued to eat her food.

Momo floundered briefly for a while, not sure what to else to say. She had clearly broached an uncomfortable topic, and after a while, the Fifth Division Fukutaichou carefully ventured again. "Erm, still, you're here now, right? I'm sure if you come visit more often, you'll slowly start to like Seireitei again."

The girl was so friendly and genuinely nice that it was quite impossible to dislike her. Hiyori slowly licked sauce from her fingers and considered the dark-haired Shinigami contemplatively. She shrugged at last.

"Maybe."

Encouraged by the reply, Momo was eager to continue the conversation. "What made you change your mind and finally visit, Sarugaki-san?"

Hiyori's eyes suddenly gleamed. If her other half had seen the mischievous look on her face then, he would have known immediately that she was up to no good. Unfortunately, Shinji had been drawn into conversation with Ichigo and Rose, and therefore was not paying any attention whatsoever.

"I was promised free sex and great food," she replied with complete nonchalance.

_Splurt_.

It turned out that the Fukutaichou of the Third and the Ninth were also listening in the conversation, and both Kira and Hisagi immediately spat out their sake. Momo's eyes grew so wide that they nearly took up half of her face, and then the poor girl turned utterly red as she gaped between Sarugaki-san and Hirako Taichou, the latter just realizing that something was up.

"Brat, what are ya tellin' these people?"

Hiyori shrugged again.

"My bad; I meant that I'm here for the great sex and free food."

There was a pause.

"Actually, they're both free. And great."

By now, the entire table was quiet, but Hiyori just casually turned back to her plate and continued to dig into her meal. The gist of the conversation was pretty clear to Shinji, judging by the way everyone was looking at him. He resisted the urge to palm his face. Instead, he turned to look exasperatedly at his little imp instead.

"Was that really necessary?"

The pigtailed blonde did not even bat an eye, brazen as ever.

"Yer Fukutaichou asked. I just answered."

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Yep, the omake is Hiyori's way of 'subtly' baring her fangs and laying claim to her man, which, as you can see, is hardly very subtle at all. She's not clingy or easily jealous by nature (at least not most of the time and not without good cause), I feel, but she's definitely a possessive little thing. Shinji belongs to her and so of course she would boldly stake her claim for all and sundry to know. Poor Momo-chan just happened to be caught up in the whole thing by accident!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Hiyori grew out her hair a little during their one year separation. It's roughly the length of how it used to be in the 'Turn Back the Pendulum' arc, and I will probably have it stay that way for now. I feel that slightly longer pigtails make Hiyori look less childlike somehow, and more like the cute young woman that she is, so there you go. It's just a very mild aesthetic change though, so no objections, I hope.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

I have my own theory regarding the growth of Souls that would hopefully explain why everyone seems to be maturing at different rates in Soul Society.

Basically, it has something to do with Reiryoku (spiritual power) and personal strength. I believe that physical growth is tied to spiritual growth for Souls, which means that they only hit growth spurts every time they experience a breakthrough in their personal abilities. That would explain why everyone in Seireitei is so obsessed with becoming stronger and stronger. Of course, different individuals have different rates of growth – some develop faster while others struggle and take a long time to reach personal milestones, and then some have greater capacities (potential) for growth and therefore will have to make more effort to breakthrough their higher glass ceiling while others have it slightly easier and would therefore mature faster, etc. This is why a young looking person (e.g. Toshiro) might not necessarily be weak, just like a matured adult Soul might not necessarily be strong. Not all men are created equal, and that is the same for Souls.

It would also explain why the residents in Rukongai seem to stagnate in terms of aging – in other words, no development in terms of Reiryoku, no physical growth, simple as that.

I believe development in terms of Reiryoku and spiritual abilities would especially accelerate during youth and young adulthood (hence why spirits like Byakuya, Akon and Gin could mature from child to adults in the span of a short century), and then slow down and plateau once a Soul's corporeal form is that of a full grown adult (late twenties, early thirties, etc), so physical aging slows down with it as well. It would explain why some of the older Shinigami are still relatively youthful looking despite being old as dirt (e.g. Ukitake, Kyouraku, Unohana, etc.). That is not to say that they are not getting stronger – just that they are not doing so anymore at insane rates.

The same thing applies for the Vizards as well. My hypothesis is that, due to their dual type Hollow/Shinigami spiritual powers, their potential for personal growth is at least doubled, and therefore it now takes even more for them to develop (or level up), which is why the entire lot of them looks like they haven't aged at all during their one hundred year exile in the Living realm. Also, Hiyori's still considered quite young for a soul, and therefore she's literally still growing (even if it take _decades_ for her just to sprout a mere couple of inches). L&T!Hiyori is around 19 - 20 in terms of maturity, and since a woman can still (in theory) develop physically until the age of 21, well, she does possess the potential to become taller – though whether she manages to fulfill said potential is another matter altogether.

All that said and done, the girl's still pretty much a midget though – she's petite by nature – so don't hold out too high hopes that she would be growing much, haha.

Yes, long ass explanation, I know, and all based on nothing but my personal speculations, but well, I've been pondering how aging works in Soul Society for quite a while, and this seems like one of the more plausible possibilities to me. Tell me what you think!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

For those who are unfamiliar with the terms/romaji that I use to refer to the Gotei 13 and its respective divisions, here's the list for you to refer to:

Goteijusantai – Gotei 13  
Ichibantai – First Division  
Nibantai – Second Division  
Sanbantai – Third Division  
Yonbantai – Fourth Division  
Gobantai – Fifth Division  
Rokubantai – Sixth Division  
Nanabantai – Seventh Division  
Hachibantai – Eight Division  
Kyuubantai – Ninth Division  
Juubantai – Tenth Division  
Juuichibantai – Eleventh Division  
Juunibantai – Twelfth Division  
Juusanbantai – Thirteenth Division

Feel free to let me know if you have any further questions!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Last but not least, my dear, dear friend lilithkiss has kindly created another uberly lovely ShiYori fanart – this time for this particular arc of L&T, 'The First Step Is Always the Hardest.' I have linked the piece (as always, it can be found on my profile page, under 'Fanarts'), so do have a look if you are free. Remember to give the wonderful Lilith lots of love and kudos when you visit her page! =)

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Also, new arc again next chapter, and as always, thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	14. Chapter 14

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2549

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 07/08/13

**Completed on:** 09/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 01/09/13

* * *

**Pre-Series Interlude: Can't Keep My Hands Off You, Part I**

* * *

Fidgeting at the entrance of the warehouse, Hiyori waited rather impatiently for her companion to emerge from the building.

She had been looking forward to this day for _weeks_.

"Damn baldy!" she burst out at last. "Can ya move faster?! What's the hold up?!"

An exasperated Shinji reluctantly slogged out less than a minute later.

He had been dreading this day for _weeks_.

"Hold yer horses, will ya?" he muttered. "The thing won't even start for hours. We still got lotsa time."

Hiyori just scowled at him. "No, we don't! We need 'ta get there early, or all 'ta good spots will be taken! So hurry up and move it!"

She was a bossy little thing as usual, but she looked so eager and excited at that moment that he could not quite say no to her. Her feline eyes were bright with anticipation and her petite frame seemed to be all but vibrating with pent up energy, and it was so rare to see her in such high spirits that he sighed inwardly and conceded to her wishes.

"Alright, alright, ya win. Let's just quickly get this over and done with."

Today was the day that her favorite band was in town for a special meet-and-greet, and somehow, she had managed to procure a pair of passes to the exclusive event. Obviously someone had to accompany her to make sure that nothing untoward happened (at this point the Vizards were more concerned for the wellbeing and safety of the general public than anything else), and they had all drawn lots to see who would have to go with Hiyori. Much to Shinji's dismay, he had ended up with the short straw and was thereby unceremoniously saddled with the responsibility of making sure that Hiyori would not cause too much property damage or mass hysteria on this jaunty little outing of hers, and already he could tell that this was going to be one of those days.

Hiyori's music preference was very much like her character – an acquired taste. It was loud, aggressive, and edgy, and it never failed to make Shinji's head hurt. The brat absolutely _loved_ it, though, and from the very first time she heard the piercing riff of the electric guitar that struck a deep chord in her soul and the spellbinding drum solo that made her heart throb in time to the beat, she had very quickly fallen for this unique style of music that was like nothing she had ever heard before back in Soul Society.

It was one of the things that Hiyori liked most about the Living World – that and the food. The innovations and sheer creativity of human beings was so amazing, and even though it had taken her a considerable amount of time to get used to life in exile in the Living World, she had eventually grown to appreciate how different the pace and style of living here were compared to back in Soul Society. Rock music particularly captivated Hiyori, though, one of the things that she had not expected to be so mesmerized with, but she could not imagine her life without it now.

The petite blonde had been on hand to witness its birth in the 1950s, had seen it start to make waves in Japan's relatively conservative (back then) music industry in the sixties, was thrilled when electronic rock began to really take off in the seventies, and then, in the eighties, alternative rock rolled in, and Hiyori really fell in love with all the indie labels and independent underground punk rock scene that seemed to sprout out seemingly overnight. She was a fan of rock music long before it became a fad, and even though all the great musicians and bands came and went like rising and falling tides (the average human lifespan was only so long, and human lives burned so brightly but for a short instant), music was forever, and the recent advancements in technology only made it all too easy to have any song available at one's fingertips – truly, what a great time it was to be living in the Human World.

Still, however convenient it was to be able to play and listen to recorded songs anywhere she wanted, live music would always trump it hands down. The utterly electrifying atmosphere, the screams of the zealous fans, the passionate performance of the band - they all added to the downright magical experience. Hiyori loved it the most; all that amazing perfection found in utter madness and chaos – it spoke to her on a level that she did not quite understand herself, but still managed to soothe the restlessness in her soul. She didn't very often get the chance to attend live shows or concerts, though; Karakura was a relatively small, quiet suburban town, after all, and most rock acts did not consider it a populated enough venue to come play. That just made today's rare opportunity so much more special – even though the meet-and-greet session was probably only a pit stop for the band and the setlist not very comprehensive – Hiyori had been getting pumped for it ever since she knew that they were coming.

Shinji side eyed the pigtailed blonde beside him as they made their way downtown. It was a nice, sunny afternoon, and for once, Hiyori looked about as happy as he had ever seen her. While not overtly smiling, she still looked rather pleased and content now that they were on their way to see her favorite band. It didn't take them long to reach the small theatre that was hosting the event, and surprisingly enough, there was already a queue forming at the front door.

Obviously, Hiyori was not the only person in Karakura town who liked to hear people with anger issues scream and shout into microphones and then pass off all that god awful noise as music.

"Are ya kiddin' me," Shinji muttered with disbelief as they got into the increasingly long line.

Hiyori rolled her eyes slightly. "Told ya," she muttered, but there was hardly any heat in her tone. The smaller blonde studied the people ahead of her and promptly decided that she still had a good chance of getting to the front of the stage. They had arrived at a pretty good time, and after a brief wait, the line started to move – the ushers were beginning to admit the attendees. Hiyori rocked on the balls of her feet impatiently as they slowly inched forward, and Shinji was rather amused by her antsy demeanor – she was pretty funny like that.

"Ya look like ya can't wait 'ta pee," he told her, and she scowled at him, though not with her usual angry intensity. She was still obviously excited about the performance.

"Oh, shut up," she retorted as they finally reached the entrance of the building. The huge bouncer guarding the door loomed over them intimidatingly, but Hiyori hardly batted at eye as she produced the tickets that would allow them to enter the theatre.

However, the large, burly man took one look at Hiyori and immediately shook his head, turning to Shinji instead. "I'm sorry, Sir," he spoke in a deep, gravelly voice. "But this session is restricted to minors – only eighteen years and above can come through. Due to explicit themes, children are not allowed to participate."

Stumped, the two ex-Shinigami just stared blankly at the human for a brief second.

"Children-" Shinji broke off, and then he glanced at the increasingly outraged look on Hiyori's face and completely lost it. Quickly turning his face away, he had to smother a guffaw behind his hand lest he indirectly incurred the boiling wrath of the furious female beside him.

Hiyori was turning quite red in the face with disbelief and anger as she gaped at the bouncer. "_Oi_! Listen here, you-"

The man did not seem to notice her swelling anger, mostly in due to the fact that she was so tiny compared to his hulking build that she wasn't even anywhere near his line of sight – she was so short that she might as well have been two dimensional. Still looking dourly at Shinji (who was struggling with all of his might to keep a straight face on), he flatly continued.

"There are more age appropriate programs being held in the library across the street-" There, he gestured towards the opposite building in question. It was decorated in all sorts of brightly cheerful, cartoonish prints in commemoration of the recent Karakura town's Kodomo no Hi celebrations. "Your daughter might find more suitable entertainment there."

That killed Shinji's amusement immediately. Choking, the golden-haired Vizard gawked in appalled disbelief at the unamused looking, craggy faced human.

"I don't even look old enough 'ta be this brat's parent!" he blurted out incredulously even as he struggled to recover from his shock; his pride and vanity as a handsome and highly sought after bachelor (in his personal opinion) had taken a hard hit right where it hurt the most. "And we aren't even related!"

The bouncer looked completely unimpressed as he stared at the two now visibly agitated and indignant individuals. He had seen through all sorts of tricks in his long career as a professional bouncer and he wasn't about to be fazed now, especially not by such an obvious ruse. He had a job to do and he was determined to do it well; it was his responsibility to make sure that kids who were obviously much younger than they claimed to be were barred from venues that they had no business being in.

Hiyori was quickly getting pissed. Her height and apparent youthful looks were rather sensitive topics for her and this stupid human had just gone right ahead and tromped all over her deep seated issues, while trying to bar her from the highlight of her entire fucking week, no, _month_, at the same time. With a dangerously narrowed look, the petite blonde automatically reached up and over her back for Kubikiri Orochi only to remember that she had left her zanpakuto back at the warehouse for the day – carrying a weapon to a performance was an immediate, surefire way to get banned from it, and that was the last thing Hiyori wanted. Besides, she was more than capable of kicking ass even without it, and was ready to go right ahead and prove it.

"I ain't a kid! You shitty piece of- _mmmpphh_!"

The feisty little blonde was about to administer a rude awakening to this idiotic human who thought her a child when Shinji grabbed her and quickly intervened, effectively gagging her potty mouth with his hand before she could make the situation worse.

"I'm afraid that you're mistaken, mister," the taller Vizard interjected smoothly over the muffled and increasingly violent protests of his companion. "Both of us are _young_ adults-" Shinji could not help but deliberately emphasize. "-and are therefore well over the minimum age requirement needed 'ta attend this event." Pointing down at Hiyori, he continued. "This tiny thing may not look like it, but she's definitely way over eighteen years of age, trust me. She's just ridiculously short and baby-faced."

Hiyori twitched at that, but she grudgingly held her tongue for now and waited to see if Shinji could resolve this; the damn baldy was pretty good at talking his way out of trouble if he had to – it was one of the few things that he was rather useful for at times.

The bouncer still looked doubtful, unsurprisingly. No matter how he looked at them, the bristling blonde girl standing in front of him was obviously a middle schooler at most, judging by her diminutive size and physical appearance. Shinji seemed to realize the reason for the man's skepticism, for he swiftly brought his free hand to Hiyori's head and pulled off her hairbands, freeing her fluffy blonde hair from their pigtailed constraints and allowing the messy, chin length strands to fall around her face instead.

"See? She looks a lot less like a kid now," Shinji pointed out. "Don't be deceived by her appearance – she only wears up her hair like that so that the old ladies down the street will take pity on her and feed her for free every now and then. Just look at those horrendous eye bags! And that sallow, haggard face! This is definitely no child!"

On the positive side, the burly man seemed to be considering Shinji's rather convincing spiel.

_On the negative side, the burly man seemed to be considering Shinji's rather convincing spiel._

Hiyori wasted no time stomping down hard on the damn baldy's instep in retaliation, a vein pulsing on her head at his completely unflattering description of her. To his credit, he only flinched very slightly at her violent outburst but did not release his hold on her.

"Look," Shinji persisted with significantly level calm, despite having to control the little firebrand at the same time. "Check her I.D. if ya don't believe me."

Hiyori was already bright red with anger when his hand reached into her jacket pocket and started to grope about blindly for the abovementioned item. It didn't take him long to locate the identity card – specially forged for all of them every couple of decades – and printed there neatly was Hiyori's most recent 'birthdate,' clearly indicating that she was indeed well over the age of majority. In the end, Shinji still had to promise to take responsibility for anything untoward that could happen to his petite companion during the performance before they were quite reluctantly let through. The moment they were out of sight of the entrance, Hiyori wasted no time showing her appreciation by sinking her teeth into the baldy's hand.

Swearing, Shinji quickly let go of her in a great hurry. "What the hell, Hiyori?!" he demanded, shaking his poor injured digits futilely as he tried to ease the sting of her bite. "Is this how ya repay someone who just did ya a favor?!"

She scowled belligerently at him. "Ya just stood there and kept insultin' me, dumbass! I'm not thankin' ya for anythin'! And ya also just felt me up; don't touch a lady without her permission, shithead!"

"What lady?" he muttered under his breath, equally disgruntled. Then, raising his voice a little more, he continued boredly. "And please, there's nothin' 'ta feel up in that monkey body of yours – don't flatter yourself, brat."

That flat tone of his really made her blood boil, and she looked like she was going to jump on him to give him hell when she noticed that they were selling fan merchandise up ahead. Her mood immediately improved, and she suddenly grabbed him by the arm and towed him towards the stand.

"Just for that, you're buyin' me somethin'," she told him, and he looked incredulously at her.

"Why do I have 'ta buy ya anythin'?" he demanded irritably, but he did not pull away from her grasp, knowing that he was going to get it even worse if he resisted her bullish demands. "I'm not even gettin' paid 'ta babysit ya, for cryin' out loud."

She ignored his grumbles.

"Oh, you're gettin' paid, alright," she told him. "I haven't kicked your whiny ass yet today, have I?"

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

This latest arc is a pre-series arc, which means that this happened before Shinji and Hiyori got together, and, also, sometime before the start of the original Bleach franchise. I understand that some of you would rather prefer reading ShiYori after they became a couple, but I can't help but write some pre-series stuff for them as well. This pair has such a long history together that it'd be a shame not to explore all the possibilities, and besides, I do love me some Unresolved Sexual Tension (UST), and I think we can all agree that the majority of UST usually occurs before the establishment of a relationship, yes?

**xXxXxXxXxX**

This arc is also inspired by a ShiYori fanart made by my friend Mic-RNOL-Mik. We were discussing one day that Hiyori would definitely be a fan of rock music, and poor Shinji's just going to have to suck it up and take it like a man, haha. Well, somehow our little conversation/fangirling session gave birth to this arc, so there you go.

The title for this arc, 'Can't Keep My Hands Off You' was derived from one of Simple Plan's song bearing the same name. It was the song that inspired Mic-RNOL-Mik's fanart, so this is a small dedication to you, my friend! =)

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Personally, I have never been to a rock concert myself, but even I can guess that there's usually an extremely long wait for the fans pre-performance (it's crazy enough with all the K-Pop acts over here, and some fans even go as far as to start queuing for good spots the night _before_ the concert, so I'm assuming that rock acts wouldn't be all that different). As such, I know that there are probably a lot of inconsistencies in terms of my description of the pre-performance waiting/queuing process in this chapter, but let's just assume that this is a really small meet-and-greet session, and Karakura town has a pretty small (and polite) fanbase for this particular rock band, alright?

**xXxXxXxXxX**

As for the rock band in question, I'll leave it to you folks to use your imaginations and fill in whichever rock acts that you'd prefer. I was tempted to put in Dir En Grey (my all-time fave JRock group) for authenticity's sake at first – since Bleach is a Japanese series after all. Then, I remembered that the inspiration for this arc was (technically) indirectly derived from Simple Plan (a French-Canadian band), and in the end I gave up and intentionally described the band very vaguely so you guys can just put in whichever music group that you'd like.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

According to Wikipedia, Children's Day (こどもの日 Kodomo no Hi) is a Japanese national holiday which takes place annually on May 5th, the fifth day of the fifth month, and is part of the Golden Week. It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness.

So yes, the bouncer was telling Shinji to take his 'daughter' to where there will be more child-appropriate activities to entertain her – which just made Hiyori even angrier, haha.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Personally, I don't think that Shinji looks old enough to be Hiyori's dad – but you have to admit that his preference for dressing up in suits lends him a slightly more matured air, and I think in Japan, only salary men would walk around all day dressed so formally – so the bouncer naturally assumed that he's her father – or her guardian, at the very least.

Also, Hiyori's penchant for wearing tracksuits does make her appear very young. The pigtails do not help matters either, so put the two together side by side, and it becomes easy to form a mistaken impression…I think?

Anyway, this is obviously just a joke, so don't take it too seriously!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

As always, thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	15. Chapter 15

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2631

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 09/08/13

**Completed on:** 10/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 07/09/13

* * *

**Pre-Series Interlude: Can't Keep My Hands Off You, Part II**

* * *

Ten minutes later, Shinji's wallet was a bit lighter (much to his chagrin) as Hiyori happily pulled on her new band shirt over her white tank top. She had already shed her jacket and tied it around her waist instead, and they made their way into the concert hall with the rest of the other fans. The venue was rather small, and the place quickly filled up with people as they waited for the session to begin. Hiyori was getting quite pumped by then – while not all the way at the front of the stage, they had managed to get a pretty good spot somewhere a bit back. The petite blonde was about as excited as he had ever seen her, and even though Shinji was not exactly thrilled to be here, he couldn't quite begrudge her such obvious pleasure.

There was a slight problem, though.

All the other concertgoers were taller and towered over her, and packed densely in the large room like they all were, there was little chance for her to see the stage over the crush of humanity due to her small stature. As always, she wasted no time turning to him to help solve her problem. "I can't see," she told him rather expectantly, and he lifted his brow.

"Yeah, I know. I've been watchin' ya jump up and down like a monkey for the past few minutes," he drawled innocuously, and she glowered at him for being deliberately obtuse.

"Lemme up your shoulders," she demanded quickly then, not beating around the bush as usual.

"No," he replied just as promptly, and was immediately treated to her deepening scowl of displeasure. She gave him a narrow, gimlet stare.

"Hage Shinji…" she bristled and growled warningly at him, but he remained unimpressed. She was way too old to still be getting away with being such a complete and utter brat, in his opinion.

"S'that the proper way ya should ask people for favors?" he enquired with deliberate calm. "'Cause it really sucks."

She gritted her teeth and her glower deepened. Shinji was not intimidated though; he had the advantage here, after all. They had a brief standoff, and then, unsurprisingly, Hiyori reluctantly backed down after a while. She also turned her eyes away and quit challenging him, understanding that she would not be getting anywhere with him like this.

"…I can't see the stage," she mumbled grudgingly at last, swallowing her pride and begrudgingly gentling her tone. Her face was flushed with awkwardness and obvious discomfiture and she was clearly avoiding his eyes by then. "…Please…_help_…me."

She was clearly forcing herself to spit out the words towards the end, and speaking so lowly that she was nearly inaudible. Her mortification was palpable, her stance rigid – as always, he found this side of her pretty damn endearing, and so he relented and did not make her repeat her request again.

"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" he asked, slightly teasing, and she barely refrained from replying, though her eyelid ticked violently in response. "You're gonna owe me for this, but since ya asked so nicely-" At that, Hiyori twitched again. "Alright."

He didn't even have to stoop down or provide any footholds to boost her up. She was small, nimble and agile – exactly like a little monkey, he thought with amusement – and she made her way up his lean, rangy frame just fine on her own. There was no embarrassment or hesitation on her part as she clambered all over him – they had known each other for so long that such feelings were completely redundant by now, and besides, she had never been the type to feel shy about such matters, exasperating little tomboy that she was.

"…Thanks," she muttered under her breath when she was finally seated on his shoulders. Her momentarily muted demeanor very quickly turned to exuberance and glee once more when she realized that she now had the best view in the house. Resting a hand on his head for extra support, she leaned forward and excitedly peered at the stage, and he had to grab her calves to steady her and keep her from tipping right off of her perch in her enthusiasm.

"Oi, be careful up there," he chided in chagrin, already starting to regret his decision to carry her. She barely weighed a thing, but was being so utterly boisterous that it was going to be a challenge to contain her rambunctiousness. "I swear; you're about as gentle as a gorilla."

She completely ignored him, of course, and then her sharp, feline eyes alit on an empty spot just a bit in front of them.

"Move forward, hage Shinji!" she demanded then, tugging at his hair to get his attention and pointing ahead with her finger.

He twitched at being treated like a pack mule. "…that's no way 'ta treat someone who can throw ya…" he grumbled, but obligingly moved to fill the place in the front all the same. Hiyori did not respond to him – the blinding stage lights abruptly came on and a deafening drumroll announced the arrival of the band to the loud screams of the adoring fans, who suddenly seemed to come alive in an overpowering wave as they all surged forward in an effort to be nearer to their idols.

Shinji winced; his sensitive ears were ringing from the resounding roar of his fellow audience members, and even Hiyori was adding to the din, pumping her fist and yelling her approval. The five band members that appeared on stage spent a brief few minutes greeting and interacting with their enthusiastic fans, and then they took their places, picked up their instruments, and very quickly started on a rousing, upbeat number to head off their first set. It didn't take long for their high energy performance to infect the crowd, and very soon, everyone was jamming to the loud, thumping beats and the powerful vocals of the lead singer, their hands high in the air as they banged their heads to the catchy song.

Hiyori was in heaven.

She was absolutely loving every moment. The utterly chaotic scene, the wildly flashing spotlights, the frantic atmosphere and the manic joy of the fans; they all added to the quality of the live music that was being played right there and then. It was all intoxicating to her, and the petite blonde waved her arms in the air and rocked out furiously to the band.

Shinji was very sure that he had landed in some part of hell, or at least it certainly felt that way at the beginning.

The music was utterly deafening and it threatened to burst his eardrums. It was completely disorienting and his head was pounding from all the jarring sounds and sights that were inundating it. The strobing spotlights that could easily induce fits of epilepsy did not help matters any, and the high pitched shrieks of the electronic instruments were hardly comprehensible to him. The raw, fierce beat of the drums felt more like a hostile declaration of war than music, and all around him, people were screaming, jumping, jostling and yelling en masse like they were all possessed by a herd of evil spirits – the whole thing was certainly disconcerting, to say the least, and he had to restrain the instinctive urge to reach for Sakanade (which he hadn't brought along, so it was moot) and start exorcising the entire lot of them.

This was the first time he had been dragged along to such an event, and to say that it was an eye opening (and jaw dropping) experience would be an understatement. Even though this was just an unofficial performance/meet-and-greet, the intensity of the charged crowd was nearly overwhelming, and Shinji didn't think that he was anywhere near ready to experience what a full scale concert would be like. In the past, one of the other Vizards would usually accompany Hiyori to her rock gigs; he was the only one left who hadn't been exposed to the experience yet – at least not until today. Shinji wondered how Rose (who possessed even more sensitive hearing than he did) had managed to sit through one of these concerts and emerge unscathed when he already felt like he was going to start bleeding from his ears very soon.

But Hiyori was clearly having the time of her life, her eyes bright as she strained forward over him to see the band better, her head bopping madly to the beat, her lips moving as she mouthed the lyrics to the song that she had memorized by heart. Shinji was obviously not a fan of this music genre, but after the second set, the initial shock was slowly wearing off and even he was beginning to at least grudgingly understand the appeal of the heart pounding, rousing tunes. The band members were also particularly charismatic and were able to churn their fans into an excited frenzy, and overall, the general atmosphere was simply electric.

Besides, it was rather difficult to remain irritated and be a wet blanket when the brat was being so utterly and infectiously _enthusiastic and happy_.

Approximately one and a half hours later, the musical showcase was drawing to an end, and the band was playing their last set. By then, Hiyori was standing beside him once again, having scrambled back down from his shoulders after less than half an hour due to an amusing inability to keep still. She was just listening to the music and lost in her own world, looking slightly flushed and mussed from her energetic exertions earlier, her eyes closed and a very small yet irrepressible smile sitting on her face as she just soaked in the sounds and the ambiance. Shinji, while not particularly crazy about the entire performance, was still enjoying it somewhat – the experience was new to him, the music style was certainly unique and some of the lyrics surprisingly profound, not to mention, the mood was pretty good, and it was impossible not to be affected by it.

The band's last song was a rock ballad, clearly an extremely popular piece judging by the rousing screams of approval from the crowd when they quickly recognized the beginning strains of the tune, the mournful screech of the electric guitar and the accompanying thrum of the bass, both preceded by the melodious solo of the electronic keyboard. The earlier, riotous demeanor of the audience quickly quieted down and became hushed with anticipation as the lead vocalist finally opened the song with his stunningly soulful voice.

_A wolf fang moon, my lover is grieving_  
_I raise my cup and drink in the frost_  
_Who has upset the box of yesteryears_  
_Awaking the dust of forgotten past?_

_Destiny has been written for every reincarnation_  
_With a frown etched on your brow, you wail as Time cannot be rewound_  
_Even if the annals of history has already become ashes_  
_My love will never end_

Shinji was frankly surprised by the range of the singer's impressive vocals, especially since the latter had been screaming his throat out for the better part of the last hour. The song was a slow, poignant number unlike any of the previous tracks they had played, though, and the golden-haired Vizard felt his focus quickly turning to the stage.

The acoustics were simply amazing, the voice and the musical instruments coming together in a perfect, harmonious blend that was aural pleasure to the ears and the soul. The lyrics were astonishingly profound, and that gripped Shinji's attention the most – he had not known that this genre of rock music existed. This was poetry in song, and it was unexpectedly beautiful.

_Grandeur is three thousand miles of waters flowing east_  
_Yet I need only a single ladleful to know love_  
_Only yearning for the butterfly reincarnation of your soul_

_Your hair is like snow, bitter serenity in our parting_  
_Who is moved by the fragrance of my burning incense?_  
_Inviting the full moon to highlight our memories_  
_Our love becomes immaculate beneath the moonlight_

Shinji glanced briefly at Hiyori, and then, his gaze caught in surprise. The petite blonde still had her eyes closed, startlingly long blonde lashes fanning her freckled cheeks, but now there was a rare look of tranquility on her face as she let the slow, aching music wash over her senses, soothing her like a touching lullaby. Her slight form swayed faintly in contentment as she luxuriated in the vocalist's clear, powerful voice and poignant singing. The instrumental interludes further added emotional impact to the song, and by now, the crowd was completely enthralled.

And, as Shinji stared at the peaceful, breathtakingly tender features of his companion, so was he.

_Your hair is like snow, your tears are flying_  
_Who had waned while I waited?_  
_In this era of mortal intoxication_  
_I'll use my devotion to carve a tablet of eternal love for you_

_la er la ~_

_The bronzed mirror reflects a picture of innocence and pigtails_  
_Since you (coyly) requested_  
_I'll keep you company and drink with you in this life_

The last notes of the singer's pristine, haunting voice lingered in the air for the longest time, and when that finally faded away, there was only enthralled silence as the audience took in the entirety of the moving ballad. Then, the clapping started, swelling in volume until the rafters all but shook from the sound of the fans' overwhelming appreciation and delight.

Hiyori's eyelids slowly opened, the ochre depths hidden within momentarily soft and unguarded; she had been clearly lulled to a dreamy and relaxed state by the song. For an instant, the gentle expression portrayed on her small and surprisingly delicate features was both startling and exquisite at the same time, but as quickly as it appeared, it was gone in the blink of an eye, the softness immediately concealed by her usual reticence and cagey demeanor. It didn't take Hiyori long to notice her fellow Vizard staring at her with the strangest look on his face, and she started to frown slightly, her prickly walls coming back up as she eyed him suspiciously.

"What?" she asked defensively over the din of the people around them, and he at last looked away.

"Nothin'," he muttered a bit too casually to be considered normal, and Hiyori would have tried to pry further if not for the distraction of the band onstage, wrapping up the gig and expressing their gratitude and farewells to the screaming audience. Golden eyes subtly watched over her as she eagerly took in the sights and the sounds, and like always, Shinji discreetly edged closer to shield her smaller form from the worst of the jostling and shoving from the overly enthusiastic crowd.

It was only much later, when the performance had ended and they had finally left the theatre and were on their way back that Hiyori suddenly quipped, "Hah! Ya can't say that I never bring ya anywhere good anymore!" she pointed out with smug glee, looking all too pleased with herself. The outing was a smashing success as far as she was concerned. She was obviously in high spirits and it clearly showed on her glowing, animated appearance, her spirited liveliness further highlighting her impish, irrepressible appeal. "Admit it, hage Shinji! I showed ya somethin' real good today, didn't I?"

Shinji briefly scrutinized that small, cute face; those bright, catlike eyes and that toothy, mischievous fanged grin. She was utterly, maddeningly, charming like this, and as always, she remained completely oblivious to the effect she had on him.

"Yeah," he replied at last, his tone perfectly nonchalant even as he stuck his hands in his pockets to quell the urge to reach out and touch her beaming features.

"Yeah, you did."

* * *

**Omake**

_**Present Day: **_

Shinji looked completely put out as he found himself standing in line again outside the familiar theatre in Karakura town with Hiyori in tow, facing the same unamused looking bouncer who looked just about as happy to see them as they did him. The Gobantai Taichou quickly put out a hand to stop the burly man before the latter could even say anything.

"Before you even start, this woman is not a child, and no, I'm _not_ her father," Shinji was quick to point out.

He had even deliberately dressed down (in his opinion) for the occasion, appearing in jeans and sneakers, forgoing a tie and leaving the top few buttons of his dress shirt undone, though he threw on a form fitting waistcoat over it and rolled up his long sleeves to his elbows so that he still managed to look cool and casual smart at the same time. Hiyori had gotten pretty annoyed with him since it had taken him forever to make up his mind on what to wear and finally be ready to leave the warehouse, but he was determined not to be mistaken as the parent of his ridiculously youthful looking lover ever again. Once was enough, thank you very much, and the shock had been so great that he had suffered from an existential crisis for weeks after that – _he did not look old, damn it_.

Unfortunately, the human who had emotionally scarred him so badly the last time around could hardly care less, judging by the blank, unimpressed look on his face.

"ID," he gruffly demanded of Hiyori, and the petite blonde grudgingly handed over her identification card for inspection. Evidently, she easily passed it this time around, and after returning the card to her, the bouncer waved them through the doors without another word, much to Shinji's shock.

"Wait a minute," the Shinigami/Vizard demanded. "You're not gonna keep insistin' that she's a child this time? Nothin' 'ta say about her height? Her looks? What 'bout me?"

The human just stared at this strange blonde man who for some reason kept getting right in his face and also seemed to be trying to instigate a fight, of all things.

"Right now, I'm only seeing one childlike person here," he uttered flatly at last, and Shinji just gawked at him in shock.

"_Huh_?!"

Hiyori kicked her other half hard in the shin before he could make an even bigger idiot out of himself.

"Goddammit baldy, quit embarrassin' me," she muttered, and then she grabbed him and dragged him into the building before he could do or say anything else.

"That wasn't what he said the last time," Shinji was still protesting, looking visibly indignant. He had been prepared to make the man eat his words from back then, too. Apparently, he had a very good memory when it came to people who insulted his vanity, and Hiyori rolled her eyes. The dumbass could certainly hold grudges for the stupidest of reasons.

"That's because ya already cleared things up with him right from the start, didn't ya?"

Shinji quickly paused at that. He had, actually – it was the first thing that he had said to the man, in fact.

"Sheesh, what a moron," Hiyori muttered outright, much to her lover's chagrin.

"Yeah, well, I may be a moron," he replied defensively. "But I'm _your_ moron."

"Yeah, yeah," she told him boredly, and then her eyes alit on the booth selling fan merchandise. "Buy me a shirt, baldy."

"_Again_?" he sounded disgruntled. "Why do I have 'ta keep buyin' ya shirts? At least get somethin' cute or sexy. What kinda date is this?"

She was completely blunt and to the point as always.

"The kind where I'll make ya very happy later if ya make me very happy now," she retorted matter-of-factly.

He looked exasperated by her shamelessly forthright answer, but there was no denying that a happy Hiyori was a very demonstrative, affectionate Hiyori. And Shinji liked the very demonstrative, affectionate version of Hiyori.

"Gee, if you put it like that, I can't really refuse at all, can I…"

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Nothing much to comment for this chapter, but I hope you guys enjoyed it all the same!

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The lyrics used here is from a mandarin love ballad, 髮如雪, by Jay Chou. It's obviously translated, but I chose it purely for its lovely lyrics. Not sure if I have done the song any justice with the translations arrangement, but, ah well, it sounded really meaningful in mandarin, and I thought it was kind of fitting.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

New arc next chapter! Back to present time!

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As always, thanks for reading!

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Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	16. Chapter 16

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2063

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 12/08/13

**Completed on:** 13/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 12/09/13

* * *

**How to Get Yourself a Date, Shinji Edition – Part I**

* * *

They were down in the training area of the Vizard Warehouse, together with Hachi, Love and Lisa. The latter trio were staying put on the sidelines though, interested enough to pull away from their usual activities to come and observe the match.

Shinji and Hiyori stood at opposite ends of the expansive grounds, their stances loose but their postures alert, both facing each other. The Fifth Division Captain was in his full Shinigami uniform, his sword sheathed by his side, his hands relaxed and hidden by the long sleeves of his white haori. On the opposing side, his lover was dressed in her usual red tracksuit, the pants rolled up to her calves, her jacket unzipped and showing the white tank top that she wore underneath it, her own zanpakuto encased safely in its scabbard and slung unobtrusively over her back. She was all but vibrating with pent up excitement, and unlike his calm demeanor, was smirking with anticipation, her catlike eyes glowing eagerly at the prospect of the impending battle, the bloodthirsty little thing.

"I'm callin' the rules first," he told her, and she grunted impatiently for him to get on with it already.

"No cero 'ta be used indoors. We still want the warehouse in one piece after this. Everything else goes. Ya win if ya can force me 'ta pull on my mask. I win if I can outlast your attempt 'ta do so. Simple, right?"

Hiyori's eyes narrowed slightly. There was nothing remotely simple about fighting Shinji. In spite of his deceptively lighthearted and frivolous nature, the man was a brutally efficient killing machine out in the field – he had always been that way even back when they were all still seated officers in the Gotei 13, and his fearsome, well-honed fighting abilities had only gotten even more deadly and powerful over the century. Even though Shinji regularly let her smack him around, it was the truth that Hiyori had never won in a spar against her lover before, not even once, but that fact was not going to deter her from trying all the same.

"Friendly reminder that the loser will have 'ta do anything the winner wants for a day, no complainin'."

That had always been the tradition between them; in the past, it had been an incentive to get him off of his ass to fight her seriously, since according to him, she had sucked so badly at controlling her Inner Hollow during mock battles that sparring with her was about as exciting as stealing candy from a baby. He usually made her his gopher for the day though, back when they hadn't gotten together yet, and made her do things like run stupid errands or clean his room, so she wasn't particularly alarmed by his bringing up their usual agreement now. Still, if he thought that this was going to be another easy victory, he definitely had another think coming; she hadn't been training hard for the past year for nothing, and had every intention of making him earn every minute of her time as his free servant.

"Well, then, are ya ready 'ta go, brat?" he asked, signaling the start of the fight, and she promptly responded by flashing off in a swift burst of shunpo. He was somehow unsurprised when she crossed the distance between them in what seemed like the blink of an eye to launch a flying kick right at his head. He moved at the very last moment to avoid her attack, but she had already anticipated his reaction and adjusted her trajectory accordingly in midair, revealing an astonishing amount of aerial agility as she did so.

He immediately defended, knocking away her leg with the edge of his forearm only for her other knee to swing around almost instantaneously in an attempt catch the side of his temple in what would have been an concussion worthy collision. Shinji quickly fell backwards, pushing away to create distance between himself and his viciously offensive opponent so that she could not press her advantage any further – knowing her like he did, engaging her in unarmed combat at this point of the fight would be a really bad idea.

Hiyori had always been terrifyingly adept at hakuda; in a serious battle, there was no hesitation or doubt whatsoever in her movements as she threw everything she had at her target, hammering relentlessly at her foe's defenses like a battering ram until they caved to the sheer pressure of her forceful attacks. Her style was extremely erratic, opportunistic and crude; there was no fixed martial arts discipline that she adhered to and that made her attacks extremely unpredictable, especially since she fought like a dirty gutter rat and would seize every advantage available to exploit, all and any cheap shots included. Her small size also granted her impressive maneuverability and speed – she was a tiny whirlwind of flying fists and kicks – and together with her gritty, highly aggressive combat style, it gave her an undeniable edge over opponents who had never fought against her before.

But Shinji was definitely no stranger to Hiyori's simple but brutal strategies, as had crossed swords and sparred with her on numerous occasions over the last century alone, and was probably the most familiar with her various attacks and approaches out of anyone else. As such, he hardly batted an eye in response to her ferocious, right-in-your-face tactics that were specifically meant to rattle his composure and unnerve her opponents, and merely positioned himself subtly and pulled back even further to lure her right into an arrangement more advantageous to himself. Sure enough she followed after his retreating form unhesitatingly, landing on her feet briefly and then charging low right at him in a blur of fiery crimson.

He intercepted this time, moving in with a deceptively lazy, fluid ease and deliberately disrupting her momentum, catching her before she could deliver a vicious jab. There was considerable force behind each of her attacks, and simply weathering the hits was not an option with her enhanced strength and abilities, especially when her speed would not allow for any recovery time on his side and she would gleefully press her advantage and keep attacking until she had completely disabled him. Hiyori had no mercy for her opponents on the battlefield and was definitely the type who would continue to 'kick a man even when he's down,' so to speak. Shinji quickly grabbed her wrist in a firm, unyielding hold and used the remaining inertia of her fierce rush towards him to throw her forcefully away from him, and she swore loudly as she soared a distance away, though she recovered quickly enough, deftly flipping in midair before landing in a skidding crouch right in front of a small cliff face.

He was already making his move. Lifting his hand, a glowing bar of energy materialized as if summoned by his thoughts, and her eyes widened in recognition. Shit! He had her cornered!

"Bakudo Number Sixty Two: Hyapporankan!" He hurled the bluish white rod straight at her. Instantaneously, a hundred more just like it appeared and rained down on her in a dangerous hail of offensive spiritual energy, and her body tensed as she tracked and calculated the trajectories of the rods all aiming right at her. She quickly flickered out of sight, literally vanishing in an impressive burst of shunpo as she dodged every single one with breathtaking agility, literally running up the vertical cliff face to crouch defensively on its edge.

"Heh. You've gotten even faster," he commented approvingly with a small, amused grin as he looked up at her, and she hissed at him from her perch, watching him carefully and not taking her eyes off of him for even a single moment. His first attack had been a goddamn Kido spell with strength in the high sixties – as always, he was taking their fight seriously and she could not afford to fool around.

He seemed content to wait her out though – he was at an advantage in this aspect since she was the one who had to engage him in order for a chance to win this match, and sure enough, after a quick pause (she had never been a particularly patient individual), she was on the move once more, pushing off rashly from the cliff and taking to the air, leaping towards him in a single minded attempt to take him out.

He was quite surprised (and rather disappointed) that she was going for such a straightforward attack despite still being so far away. She was a sitting duck when airborne, and she really should know better than to let her emotions cloud her head so much, especially during a fight. The last time she lost her head in one, it had nearly cost her life, and he was not pleased that she seemed to have had completely forgotten that brutal lesson already. Shinji immediately moved to shut her down, calling forth another high level Kido spell to immobilize her, and like before, completely forgoing the incantation as he did so.

"Bakudo Number Sixty One: Rikujokoro."

This time, the glowing burst of light that shot out from his index finger immediately split into six wide yellow beams and shot straight towards Hiyori, each stabbing right into her middle and holding her in place before she could complete her attack. She froze immediately in midair, a look of frustration stuck on her face, and once he ascertained that the spell had completely taken hold of her, he made his way towards her slowly.

"Well, that was kinda anticlimactic," he deadpanned flatly, and even though she could not move, her glare seemed to intensify as their eyes met. "I told ya before not 'ta attack blindly, didn't I? You wanna admit defeat and call the match now-"

Before he could finish his sentence, she summoned her mask by sheer power of will. It was only a partial masking, her sclera bleeding black and the beginnings of the bone mask forming on the side of her head but leaving her face uncovered, and he tensed in surprise when it was enough to allow her to forcefully expel the restraining sheets of energy from her body and completely shatter the bonds of the powerful Kido spell, freeing her once again to fight. Her spiritual pressure shot sky high, and she wasted no time jumping back into action, chambering a powerful roundhouse kick and launching it right into the side of his face, unceremoniously punting him across half the length of the humongous training field with the force of her Hollow-enhanced strength.

Love pumped his fist from the sidelines. "Hooo! The lil' shit finally did it!" Granted, Shinji's Rikujokoro had not been at full strength since he had skipped the incantation, but it was still a breakthrough as far as Hiyori's personal growth was concerned – Kido spells ranked level sixty and above were near impossible to break by sheer physical force as a general rule of thumb.

Hachi smiled ruefully. "Looks like I'm going to have to upgrade the barriers again," he noted musingly to himself.

Hiyori's bloodlust went straight up, and Kubikiri Orochi was released from its sheath and clasped in her hand in the blink of an eye even as she shot after her momentarily downed lover, but he proved to be very resilient, recovering swiftly before she could further press him with her assault, launching to the skies in a swift flash of white to put space between them and take quick stock of the situation. He had genuinely been taken aback by Hiyori's improved abilities – her intensive training the last year had obviously bore fruit and she was a lot better than he had expected – his already throbbing jaw was certainly going to be paying for his mistaken oversight tomorrow, and it was a good thing that he had instinctively shielded himself with his reiatsu, or she probably would have taken his head clean off with that single ruthless attack.

The Gobantai Taichou pulled out Sakanade just in time to block Hiyori's quick, vicious strike from above. Their swords clashed with a fierce, jarring ring as his katana stopped hers in its track, holding perfectly steady despite the sheer force that she had put into her trademark Suikawari, and her eyes narrowed dangerously. She snarled.

"_Buttegire_, Kubikiri Orochi!"

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

So, this new arc will be the largest one so far, and will span 5 chapters in total (current one included). It's a 'date'-themed mini-series, and anyway, I'm hoping that some of you will enjoy this.

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I also hope that I managed to make the fight scene realistic. Hiyori's such a kickass little hellion, and I really enjoyed writing out her fighting style.

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Even though not much is known about Shinji's abilities right now, I feel that he would be at least proficient in Kido spells, since it seems to me like it might be a required specialty of the Fifth Division, and the Lieutenant and previous Captain are all at least experts in it. Not to mention, Kido spells seem to go very well with illusion-based zanpakuto in terms of tactics and fighting strategy.

By the way, the two spells that Shinji used in this chapter are also from canon-verse.

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According to Bleach Wiki, Suikawari (西瓜割; Japanese for "Watermelon Splitting") is one of Hiyori's trademark attacks. It basically entails her coming down with her sword upon an opponent. She used this technique to cleanly cut down through the head and mask of a Gillian with ease in the series.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

For those who are curious, this arc follows directly after 'The First Step Is Always the Hardest' (chapters 12 and 13) in terms of timeline and chronology.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

As always, thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	17. Chapter 17

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2799

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 13/08/13

**Completed on:** 14/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 15/09/13

* * *

**How to Get Yourself a Date, Shinji Edition – Part II**

* * *

"_Buttegire_, Kubikiri Orochi!" Hiyori snarled in the dual tones of herself and her Inner Hollow, and immediately, her zanpakuto took on its shikai form, the blade elongating, becoming bigger and heavier, its cutting edge turning roughly serrated and jagged like the hungry teeth of a chainsaw. Shinji grimaced inwardly; he really detested the special ability of her shikai.

While not particularly extraordinary or impressive, the hidden ability of her zanpakuto's initial release form was incredibly abrasive and completely impossible to ignore – a clear reflection of its owner's personality. It also had an immediate effect on the surrounding area; that oversized cleaver of hers actually emitted insistent, extremely low frequency infrasound vibrations that were downright uncomfortable to the senses of anyone within striking distance. As Hiyori's emotions flared, her shikai actively fed off of her agitation and the vibrations intensified, until he could feel it jarring the joints of his sword arm, and even Sakanade was starting to shake in protest. With enough training, he did not doubt that her shikai ability could one day easily shatter the zanpakuto of lesser Shinigami on impact alone, but that was something that he'd leave her to discover on her own.

Hiyori shoved hard against their deadlock and abruptly twisted the hilt of her own weapon, attempting to catch Sakanade in one of Kubikiri Orochi's oversized teeth and wrest the unreleased katana out of its owner's hand. Shinji was forced to disengage immediately or risk losing his sword, and she had obviously anticipated his move, for she was already throwing herself backwards in a backflip, using the heavy weight of her zanpakuto to increase her momentum as she twisted in mid rotation and slammed her heel into his unprotected side in an absurdly graceful (and painfully effective) butterfly kick.

For the second time in under a minute, he sailed over the training ground, the air knocked right out of his lungs, and this time, she caught up to him before he could even right himself. Her glowing eyes with the black sclera were utterly merciless as she raised her cleaver to cut him down in one single stroke, but before she could finish her attack, he disappeared right before her sight and phased behind her instead, the tables quickly turned, the hunter now the hunted.

Her lover was strong and extremely fast even without the need to release his sword or mask, and he quickly proved his superiority by swiftly disabling her from the back; a large, long fingered hand snapping out to grab her wrist, jerking her sword arm back and twisting it in an unnatural angle, not yet hard enough to break bone, but still excruciatingly uncomfortable, forcing her to let go of her sword in automatic reflex. The move was purely calculated, instantly executed at the precise moment – that short millisecond – where she had let her guard down, and Kubikiri Orochi quickly fell to the ground below them, immediately returning to its sealed katana form. Shinji pulled her slight, struggling figure back against his chest, his hold on her firm and absolute.

"What a bloodthirsty 'lil thing you are," he muttered in her ear, and both her and her Inner Hollow were immediately outraged at being outmaneuvered so quickly and effortlessly. Had he even been fighting her seriously the whole time? Her spiritual pressure soared in response together with her rising ire, and growling, she tried to break free from his hold with sheer brute force, and she would have succeeded too, if he hadn't released his own reiatsu to cover hers, simply matching her every step of the way, and then slowly but surely overpowering her with the intensity of his own energy.

Hiyori was not going down that easily, though. Materializing her Hollow mask to cover her face completely, her spiritual energy increased further, immediately skyrocketing to a level that even Shinji was starting to have trouble containing. She was definitely stronger compared to the last time they had faced off over a year before, and she was also actually using her head to strategize and fight more effectively too – Shinji briefly wondered what kind of training Kisuke and Yoruichi had been putting her through. If she continued to expel reiatsu like that, she was going to break free very soon, and he would eventually have no choice but to step up the intensity of his sparring with her by yet another level, and he might even have to summon his mask to subdue her – though that would make her win by default.

It was a good thing that he knew just as well as she did that she was unable to keep up her current supercharged Hollowfied status indefinitely. Three minutes was the most she could manage, and they were already more than two minutes in since she had first drawn on the powers of her Inner Hollow. All he had to do was hang on until she exhausted herself, and the match would be called in his favor.

Hiyori was getting desperate, and it showed. She had thrown everything she had at Shinji and he had taken it all and was still hardly fazed by her attacks. As a fighter, it stung her pride that she was still so far behind him in terms of their abilities even though she had always known he was so much more powerful than she was. He was a Captain-class Shinigami, after all, and he had more to protect and therefore more to lose, so of course he was going to have to be completely formidable, and it wasn't as if he never struggled to earn his strength – she knew how hard he worked, every bit paid for with blood and sweat.

Unlike her, it was also not his style to overwhelm his opponents by blatantly shoving his strength right in their face – he was cool, calm, calculative, only exacting the necessary amount of effort to quell his adversaries, not revealing more than he absolutely had to, and it seemed that she still had quite a long way to go if she wanted to fight him on equal footing. The urge to throw a temper tantrum was overwhelming; this fight was already as good as his, and he knew her too well to be fooled by any of her fake outs or the tricks she could possibly pull. Hiyori struggled unhappily and tried to at least be free of his hold before she lost all of her strength, but he was simply unmovable, and unless she tore off her own arms in the struggle, escape was impossible.

Shinji simply brought her back down to the ground with him, landing effortlessly on the sidelines where the other three Vizards were.

"Congratulations, Hiyori," Lisa uttered boredly then. "You managed to last a whole five minutes against Shinji. That's two whole minutes longer than your previous record."

"Shut up, Lisa!" the petite blonde snapped in a deep, growly undertone, her sclera around her glowing ochre irises still black from behind her skeletal-looking Hollow mask. "The fight ain't even over yet!"

Standing beside Lisa, Love just eyed the caught and subdued young woman blankly. "I don't know about that. You look kind of stuck to me, Hiyori."

The frustrated blonde growled.

"Ya still not ready 'ta admit defeat yet, brat?" Shinji asked from somewhere above her, sounding utterly casual despite the fact that he was holding a very angry Shinigami/Hollow hybrid right at the moment. Hiyori hissed like a scalded cat and struggled harder, but to no avail. Much to her dismay, she finally hit the time limit then, and her mask started to disintegrate, leaving her feeling completely drained as her reiatsu immediately dropped back to normal levels.

"Damn ya, baldy!" she burst out unhappily, panting slightly from her exertions. "Fight me again! Did ya even take me seriously at all?!"

"I assure ya that I take all my battles very seriously," her lover told her calmly even as he finally let her go. "I just don't see the need 'ta use all of my strength 'ta hunt a rabbit. Or in this case, a 'lil monkey."

He wasn't even speaking out of arrogance or vanity, just stating pure fact. Hiyori looked dangerously close to showing him just how much of an animal she could be, but then, he just reached over and ruffled her hair like she was a little kid, much to her increasing indignation and outrage.

"But ya did real good, brat," he told her, affectionate once again now that the match was over. "I didn't expect that you'd improve so much in such a short time."

It was true. He was probably going to have to cast some advanced healing spells on his jaw and side where she had kicked him earlier or he was going to acutely feel the aches tomorrow. If he hadn't had the foresight to protect himself with his reiatsu, she would have completely shattered his bones on both counts; truly, she was such a terrifying opponent when it came to hand-to-hand combat. She had definitely gotten a lot faster too, but he supposed he shouldn't be all that surprised since one of her regular sparring partners happened to be the Goddess of Flash herself.

Hiyori smacked his hand away, already rather red in the face from anger. "Don't patronize me!" she barked fiercely, scowling at him at the same time.

"I'm not," he merely informed her. "I'm just speakin' the truth. Anyway, I still won, so that means ya owe me an entire day of your time."

Hiyori visibly bristled at his reminder, but she did not refute his claim. She was not someone who went back on her word, and besides, she knew their usual arrangement well.

"I just have 'ta be your free servant again, right?" she muttered, grudgingly accepting Kubikiri Orochi from Hachi, who had kindly gone and retrieved it for her. Much to her surprise, the damn baldy shook his head.

"Nope. You're the girlfriend now, so ya get special treatment," he told her in a slightly amused tone. Hiyori looked at him suspiciously.

"What special treatment?" she demanded immediately.

"We're goin' on a date."

For a moment, Hiyori thought that she had heard wrongly. "_Whaa_?!"

"A date," he repeated nonchalantly enough. "A proper, romantic one this time, so look forward 'ta it."

She looked like a deer caught in the headlights at his announcement. Then, the horror of the situation quickly set in.

"Can I just be your one day servant instead?" she blurted out then, though he was hardly tickled by her response.

"Ya know, that's kinda insultin'," he drawled. "Especially since I haven't even started romancing ya properly yet."

"I don't need any romancing," Hiyori was quick to deny his offer. There was a pause, and then she continued. "I wanna rematch. I'll fight really hard this time, I promise."

"Ouch," Love muttered from the sideline. "That's gotta hurt."

Lisa just shrugged. "Shinji enjoys pain and humiliation, remember."

The Fifth Division Captain just ignored the unnecessary comments from the peanut gallery and continued to focus his attention on his disgruntled significant other. "Nice try, brat, but you're not gettin' outta this. We had an agreement; loser does what the winner wants, so no weaselin' outta it."

"What about best two outta three?" she insisted stubbornly, looking increasingly desperate as she did so. "I'll fight like my life is dependin' on it."

"You're gonna be wined and dined even if you scream and kick 'bout it throughout the whole thing," her lover told her firmly, cutting off the rest of her arguments. "Which will be happenin' tomorrow, in fact. I'll come get ya in the evening. Lisa, will ya help me get her ready?"

The ebony-haired woman eyed the bristling, defensive form of her fellow Vizard. She shrugged once again in agreement. "Sure, why not. It'll be an interesting project. I'll doll her up really nicely for you."

"Actually, I'll just be content if ya can make sure that she won't run off before I come for her," Shinji muttered wryly. "But that will work too."

"I don't wanna go on a date!" Hiyori burst out then, still bewildered by how quickly the whole thing had sprung up on her completely unannounced – this was obviously a trap that he had been planning from the very beginning, and she was not thrilled to have so stupidly fallen right into it.

"Sorry, brat, I'm not givin' ya a choice here." He did not sound or look very apologetic though, judging by his toothy grin, and it made her want to punch it right off that smug face of his. Her fists actually started to clench in reflex, and he seemed to sense her impending tantrum, for he wisely changed the subject. "Well, now that's settled, I need 'ta be headin' back to Seireitei; ya know, stuff 'ta do, people 'ta see. Be good, Hiyori."

"Go 'ta hell, hage Shinji! Nothing's settled yet!" the petite female protested quite heatedly, but her lover just reached out and patted her head teasingly once more, though of course that only made her even angrier. Chuckling, he pulled out of reach of her striking range, and after bidding his goodbyes to the other Vizards, the blonde took his leave, somehow still appearing remarkably pristine and put together despite the quick spar.

"I really hate that dumbass," Hiyori growled, still looking quite piqued, but it wasn't as if there was anything else that she could do now. Besides, a deal was a deal – she had lost the fight (as she always did) and he was well within his right to demand anything he wished of her.

A date. An honest to goodness date. They didn't even do dates, at least not the mushy, sickeningly romantic, lovey dovey sort. Just thinking of it alarmed Hiyori greatly. What the hell do those couples do on dates other than stare lovingly into each other's eyes, cuddle under a small umbrella and stroll about like idiots in the rain? If the baldy thought that he was going to try that with her, she would cheerfully stab him in the eye with the damn umbrella.

The remaining three Vizards exchanged brief glances. Now that all the excitement was over, Love and Hachi excused themselves, leaving the women to their own devices.

Lisa wasn't very impressed by the younger woman's personal crisis. "You're in a relationship with that aforementioned dumbass, Hiyori, and since people in relationships often go on dates, you might as well just give in and get used to it already." Hiyori looked like she wanted to protest, and so Lisa continued. "Besides, there will be food."

"Shinji already feeds me when we go out," she grumbled, unconvinced.

Lisa did not even bat an eye. "Well, perhaps Shinji will feed you even more lovingly this time," she uttered flatly. Hiyori looked plain horrified.

"I'll make him eat my fuckin' shoe if he even tries it," she muttered.

The older woman observed her friend's visibly flustered expression. "You really have no idea whatsoever what couples usually do on dates, do you?" she asked right out.

Her astute guess was right on the mark as usual. Hiyori flushed further, but refrained from commenting. Lisa's curiosity was roused.

"Then what on earth do you two get up to when you're out?"

"…We go for food. Sometimes we walk 'round town. Or go 'ta the park. Maybe kill some Hollows on the way." Hiyori shrugged. "Normal stuff."

Of course, there was also the physical affection part, but they don't really do much of that in public, and besides, Hiyori didn't think that was what Lisa was asking about.

"So basically, he feeds you, walks you, and then plays with you," Lisa deadpanned. The ex-Lieutenant was starting to feel a bit sorry for Shinji. No wonder the man had to devise such an elaborate plot to get his lover to go on a proper date with him.

Hiyori scowled.

"Ya are makin' me sound like some pet dog," she muttered. Yes, a cute, fluffy but temperamental pet dog with a penchant for biting and kicking its poor, long suffering partner.

"There's little difference from what I can see," Lisa retorted blankly. Obviously a lesson of some sort was in order. "Come on; I'll lend you some of my manga – you can pick up some hints from there."

Hiyori grumbled but did not protest the suggestion. The date was going to happen no matter how she tried to resist it, now that the other Vizards were in on the plan. A stray thought occurred to the petite blonde then, and she paused.

"Wait a minute, Lisa," the young woman interjected. "Aren't most of your manga the hentai kind?"

Lisa didn't even try to deny it.

"So?"

* * *

**Omake**

Hiyori frowned at the manga in her hand as she tried to make sense of the series of pictures and what it was trying to tell her. Sitting on the floor in Lisa's bedroom, she was surrounded by stacks of comics, most of them marked with a red, very conspicuous 'EXPLICIT' label on their covers. The owner of the room herself was lounging on her bed, a swimsuit magazine in hand as she slowly leafed through the pages of buxom beauties prancing about in scanty attire.

"Lisa, what is this 'Love Hotel' and why do the couples going on dates always end up in it?" Hiyori asked at last. She squinted at the fascinating illustrations of the various themed rooms – they didn't look like the interior of any hotel that she had seen before, that was for sure. "…Looks interestin'."

Lisa didn't even miss a beat or look up from her magazine as she answered, turning a page at the same time.

"It's a playground for adults. Why don't you ask Shinji to take you after your date?"

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

I do feel a bit sorry for Shinji – Hiyori can be kind of hard to romance because she's such a complete tomboy at times, and he does seem like the type who will want to lavish affection on his significant other if he can help it.

So here's my take on how a date between our favorite couple will go down – hope you guys are enjoying the ride so far!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Just for the sake of clarification, the special ability of Hiyori's Shikai in this chapter is non-Canon and derived from pure speculation on my part.

FYI, infrasound vibrations are extremely annoying to the human senses. It's insistent and you can't ignore it even if you want to (kind of like Hiyori, haha). According to my good friend Wikipedia, it can cause extremely disconcerting sensations – anxiety, uneasiness, extreme sorrow, nervous feelings of revulsion or fear, chills down the spine, and feelings of pressure on the chest. And also, like all vibrations, Kubikiri Orochi's special ability also has the potential to shatter blades (or objects) – if Hiyori can learn to control its frequency and match it to the range of the targets, that is.

I also already have a very good idea of what I want her Bankai to be like, but since that's still a _long_ way ahead, I'll refrain from jumping the gun right now and just wait to surprise you guys when the time comes.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

I feel that Shinji's fighting style is a complete complement of Hiyori's. She's hotheaded, aggressive and in-your-face, but he's more of a patient, wait-and-see type, closely analyzing and studying his opponent's moves and watching for probable weaknesses before he quickly and decisively struck to defeat the latter in one fell swoop.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

And yes, the spar was concluded within five minutes, for the sake of realism.

Hiyori has never won in a serious spar against Shinji before, and for a very good reason. In terms of both abilities and physical power, he's stronger than her, faster than her, possesses far greater spiritual power than her, and, last but not least, he is also extremely coolheaded and focused in a fight – unlike her. He also does take the spar extremely seriously and doesn't cut her any slack whatsoever – despite her angry tirades accusing of otherwise – and that's why he was able to defeat her so quickly.

I'm aware that shounen manga typically like to drag out fight scenes, but going by common sense, long, drawn out battles usually only occur between opponents with roughly similar skill levels. In the case where one combatant is obviously more superior to the other, it usually doesn't take very long for a victor to emerge from a fight.

…besides, I feel that lasting a whole five minutes against an obviously stronger opponent is a pretty awesome feat for Hiyori to achieve, especially since a scant millisecond is already more than enough to make a difference between victory and defeat.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

'Date Night' from next chapter on!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

As always, thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	18. Chapter 18

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3084

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 15/08/13

**Completed on:** 16/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 19/09/13

* * *

**Date Night – Part I**

* * *

Lisa took a step back and surveyed the painstaking results of her handiwork, her turquoise eyes intently studying the visibly irritated figure of the young woman standing in front of her, critically taking in everything from the latter's hair to her face and, last but not least, her clothes. There was an entire minute of unbearable tension as she took her time to pass judgment, but at last, the ebony-haired Vizard nodded subtly.

"This'll do," she remarked, calm as ever, though her unwilling dress up doll and clotheshorse for the entire afternoon did not look or feel anywhere near as composed.

Hiyori glowered at the other female. "Fuckin' great," she muttered disgruntledly. "This must be what a car fresh outta a fuckin' carwash feels like."

She felt somewhat violated, raw and more than a bit sore over the entire experience – she had been thoroughly washed, scrubbed and waxed earlier, until she was squeaky clean and her skin so soft and silky that it felt like a baby's bottom. Her face had also been accordingly masked, exfoliated and moisturized, her jagged, uneven nails carefully trimmed and manicured (no nail polish though – she had nearly flipped her lid when Lisa tried to apply it on her), and even her light blonde hair gleamed with luster as it fell obediently around her small face in soft waves for once.

Lisa ignored her griping.

Despite how Hiyori was complaining, the young woman looked rather pretty and feminine at the moment, the result of an entire afternoon's worth of personal grooming and beauty care. Her silky hair was let out of the standard pigtails, and together with her healthy, glowing complexion, served to soften the usually defensive and hardnosed attitude that she seemed to wear around herself like some sort of armor, effectively altering her appearance from that of a feisty, upstart brat to a lovely young woman. It was simply astounding what a simple change of hairstyle and clothes could do, and combined with the light makeup that Lisa had helped the other female Vizard apply, Hiyori looked incredibly cute and eye catching at the moment – even though she was also scowling grumpily at the same time.

"The hell do I have 'ta look like this anyway?" she mumbled, still feeling a bit annoyed by all the unnecessary procedures she had been made to suffer through earlier.

"Most people dress up to impress their dates. Don't you want to knock Shinji's socks off?" Lisa asked flatly. Hiyori just looked down skeptically at the sundress that she was wearing and rolled her eyes.

"Tch. The baldy has already seen me in much less. Just puttin' me in a dress isn't gonna make that much of a difference."

The ebony-haired ex-Lieutenant glanced briefly at Hiyori once more. The younger woman had never been too good at grasping her own physical attractiveness – she certainly liked to play it up in front of others and pretend to boast about it, but in reality, she didn't seemed to be all too aware of just how unconsciously sexy that edgy wildness of hers could be to some men, now further emphasized by her contrasting groomed and feminized appearance.

"I think you'll be surprised, Hiyori. Something tells me that Shinji's the type to pay attention to the packaging."

* * *

Knowing Hiyori like he did, Shinji had chosen to arrive at the warehouse a good fifteen minutes ahead of the arranged meeting time. His impatient little firebrand _hated_ to wait on people the most, but for some strange reason or another, she also possessed the most bemusing tendency of turning up early on scheduled appointments and then going around to beat up anybody who arrived after her for being tardy, even though they hadn't even been technically late for said appointments in the first place.

Since he could already tell that she was going to be more than a bit recalcitrant (at least at the beginning) over this date that he had so abruptly sprung on her, in the interest of placating her undoubtedly irritable nature, he had taken care to be present slightly ahead of her, and had even brought along something that would hopefully sweeten her volatile temper.

Fortunately, he had indeed arrived before she was ready, for the main area of the warehouse was devoid of her presence when he entered the building.

Unfortunately, the first thing he saw of her was her slipper when she emerged from the barracks a scant five minutes later. The sheer force of her disgruntled greeting was significant as always; it would have sent him flying across the length of the Vizards' residence had he not possessed the quickness of mind to deflect the majority of the blow with his reiatsu, and as such, her footwear only bounced off of his forehead with an audible thwack, hard enough to leave a faint mark on his face (the sight of which would possibly mollify her temper), but didn't do much damage otherwise.

"Damn ya, hage Shinji! I hope you're happy now!" she was growling at the edge of the main area, standing right in front of the doorway that led to the Vizards' sleeping quarters.

He caught her slipper before it could fall to the floor, and then he belatedly realized that it wasn't the usual dollar store footwear she typically favored. This one was white in color, platformed, and boasted intricate, beaded details on its straps. It was startlingly feminine in its design, and the dainty size ensured that it sat perfectly within the span of his large but narrow hand, though it still had been every bit as devastating a weapon as the normal version when in Hiyori's grasp. Shinji turned his attention to its violent, irritable owner.

"Well, brat, I'm always happy 'ta see ya-" the male broke off abruptly when he finally took his first good look at his lover. He paused, his mouth parted slightly in surprise, his eyes widening imperceptibly as he took in the sight of her.

Hiyori was wearing a white sundress that bared her shoulders and settled lightly over her slight, lithe figure, ending just above her knees and showcasing the rest of her lean, slender legs. The thin, cottony material was rather fitted around her small bust and emphasized her tiny waist before flowing down her girlish hips in a slightly flared skirt, and she looked exquisitely lovely in it. Her hair was also let out of its customary pigtails, falling slightly past her shoulders, the light golden strands brushed out till they shone, and even the pins that usually parted her fringe had been taken out for the occasion; the only decoration she wore was a bright red ribbon that had been very loosely woven into her flaxen gold strands.

Most captivating was her glowing features, the skillful application of black eyeliner accentuating the exotic catlike tilt of her large, ochre eyes, her already long lashes further emphasized by the use of a mascara brush. He was glad to see that nothing had been done to conceal her adorable freckles, and her small, pink mouth glistened most temptingly from the transparent gloss that had been spread over her lips, the only other hint of makeup that she wore. Something in his gut tightened, and his pupils dilated with masculine pleasure at the sight of his lover.

Dressed and looking the way she did now, nobody in their right mind would ever mistake her for a child ever again.

"_Hiyori_," he breathed, simply unable to take his eyes off of her, and that one word said everything. Hiyori, who had been simmering with agitation for the last few hours at least, was immediately caught by that expression on his face, her fiery anger quickly subsiding when she saw how he was staring at her. Suddenly, all those hours she had squandered on preparing for this stupid date didn't seem like such a complete waste anymore, not when they made him look at her like she was the most desirable creature he had ever met.

His acute attention also made her feel strangely flustered and incredibly aware of her own femininity, and Hiyori did not know how to deal with that. She felt most disconcertingly like a defenseless lamb being caught under the paralyzing stare of a starving wolf, and it was both weird and extremely exhilarating at the same time. Her heart started to pound in her chest, and the earlier irritation in her eyes shifted to wariness and reluctant interest as she watched him back.

"Shinji…" she drew out his name slowly, and that seemed to snap him out of his daze. In three long strides he was standing right in front of her, and then he wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her up against him, forcing her on her tiptoes to accommodate his action. Before she could react, he was already bending down and kissing her hungrily. Hiyori's knees went slightly weak at his lustful, dominating assault – she liked it a lot when he was a bit rough with her – and she opened her mouth to kiss him back eagerly, straining against him with reciprocating desire, a pitched little moan escaping her as her tongue swiftly darted past her lips to stroke his desirously.

He groaned and had to struggle to clear his mind. Her scent inundated his head, the smell of bright sunshine and fresh linen, together with the faintest hint of baby powder that she always put on after her bath, and it took immense effort for him to finally pull away from her addictive mouth. If he didn't stop now, they weren't going anywhere but straight back to her bedroom, and the idea was starting to hold more and more merit the longer he considered it.

"Goddammit," he muttered huskily, looking down at her pretty, passion flushed face and kiss swollen lips. Hiyori had always been beautiful to him, but Lisa had really outdone herself this time. "You're absolutely breathtaking tonight, luv."

The genuine, masculine admiration in his intimate tone made her turn a shade redder, and surprisingly enough, she made no mention of his endearment for her. Instead, she quickly turned her eyes away from his, her small hands coming up to his chest to push away from him.

"S-Shut up," she stuttered slightly. "I'm still pissed at ya; don't distract me!"

He had to hide his smile even as he let her sidle nervously out of his loose hold.

"Careful there," he drawled teasingly in response. "Your tsundere side is showing."

She bristled.

"I don't have a tsundere side!" she denied, and then she quickly stuck out her hand. "And gimme back my slipper already, dumbass! How long are ya gonna keep holdin' it like that?"

The footwear that she had thrown at his head just now was still in his hand, but he refused to return it to her when she tried to reach for it. A frustrated frown started to knit on her brow.

"Damn baldy! What're ya doin'?!" she blustered indignantly when he folded his lean frame and lowered himself before her in a crouch instead.

"What does it look like I'm doin'?" he retorted dryly even as he reached out for her shoeless foot and wrapped an elegant hand around her dainty ankle. She was so small and delicate despite that touchy and aggressive temperament of hers, and she reminded him of a prickly little puffer fish, blowing itself up just to look bigger and more intimidating. It was kind of cute.

Despite his tone, he was gentle as he lifted her leg to slip her footwear back on for her, his long fingers warm and steady against her skin, and she was acutely aware of his touch. The whole thing made her feel like some kind of fairytale princess, at least until he slowly slid his hand higher up to her bare calf, caressing her pale, smooth skin the entire way, and then he bent his golden head to press a kiss on the inner side of her leg, on the spot just slightly above her knee.

She jerked in surprise. "S-Shinji!"

He proceeded to mark the sensitive flesh there with a playful lave of his tongue, and something inside of her just _clenched_ at the exquisite sensation. A small, breathless squeak escaped her, and chuckling slightly, he finally withdrew. She quickly tried to kick him in the face then, but he still had a firm hold on her leg and he was not stupid enough to release her until she had calmed down.

"Aren't ya feisty tonight," he remarked amusedly. "Be good, or I won't give ya your present."

That got her attention. "What present?" she demanded, and now that she was sufficiently distracted, he finally let go of her and straightened to stand in front of her once more.

He was in a Gigai for the occasion, and he was dressed in modern clothes, in the style that he favored. Tailored charcoal grey slacks adorned his long legs and his feet were encased in his favorite designer loafers. His crisp, fitting dark turquoise dress shirt was tucked in neatly but left deliberately unbuttoned at the collar, teasingly revealing the column of his throat and the hint of his clavicles. A casual black blazer completed the entire ensemble, and as always, his appearance was both sharp and flawless.

Smirking lazily at her interested expression, her lover reached into the side pocket of his jacket and withdrew a flat box roughly the size of his hand, and her eyes quickly lit up when she recognized the packaging label of her favorite chocolatier.

"Truffles?" she asked hopefully, her eyes starting to glimmer with excitement. "All the way from Hokkaido?! Gimme!"

It was not often that she got to eat the confections from that particular candy confectionary that could only be found exclusively in the northern region of Japan, and to say that she was eager would be an understatement. He held the tray of handmade chocolates out of her reach.

"I think you're happier 'ta see this than me," he teased, and she growled at him.

"Duh! I see ya ugly mug all the time! Now gimme!"

"How rude. Shouldn't ya be askin' more nicely, brat?"

She puffed out her cheeks slightly and looked mutinously stubborn at first, but another glance at the sweets, so near but yet so far, immediately weakened her resolve. Those delicious chocolates really were to die for, and it wasn't long before Hiyori relented and mumbled reluctantly from the side of her pouting mouth. "…Please, Shinji."

Shinji's gaze was rife with affection for his petite lover. He lowered the box of chocolates, but instead of giving it to her, he pulled open the lid and picked out a piece with his graceful fingers.

"Open your mouth," he purred softly, and she looked straight at him, brow knitting slightly as she did so. Normally, she would have responded to his ridiculous demand with a punch to the head (_his_ head, most specifically), but this time, the _look_ in his golden eyes stilled her tongue, mesmerizing her with its languid, desirous brilliance, and an instinctual part of her stirred in response to it. Hiyori's wariness faded away. His acute attention was both extremely enthralling and breathtaking, and she found herself wordlessly obeying him instead, boldly locking her gaze with his even as she submitted to his request and opened her mouth, tilting her face slightly towards him.

He fed her slowly, pushing the candy past her pink lips, watching intently as the cocoa-dusted ball of creamy, soft, milk chocolate slowly disappeared into the slick cavern of her mouth.

The delicate, delicious confection all but melted on her tongue, the light, buttery texture and the utterly smooth taste of the chocolate bringing her so much enjoyment that she hummed lightly from it. Her eyes fluttered close with bliss, and a small smile threatened creep across her face. Hiyori's weakness for well-made sweets was an open secret amongst the Vizards – it was about the only thing guaranteed to raise her spirits and make her happy when everything else had failed.

"Was it good?" he asked, and she slowly opened her eyes to look at him. The sheer pleasure reflected in those ochre depths answered his question, though it also made him shake his head amusedly at her.

"I'm gonna be jealous if ya keep lookin' like that."

Her eyes gleamed slightly, and she slowly, deliberately, swallowed the decadent chocolate that he had just fed her. She caught his wrist with her hands and brought his chocolate stained fingers to her lips, first lapping at his thumb with her small pink tongue, and then sucking his index and middle digits into her mouth and slowly licking them clean as well, watching him the entire time.

Golden eyes quickly darkened.

She was deliberately teasing him, the little minx, and it was working. He pulled his damp fingers away and ducked his head down, catching her mouth with his own and kissing her hard and quick. Unsurprisingly, she tasted like chocolates. She leaned into him instinctively, enthusiastically showing her affection in the only way she knew how, and she was so eager for him that he had trouble keeping in mind that they still had a date to get to. Pulling away from that soft, addictive mouth of hers, he quickly reached over and swiped his thumb over her full, bottom lip, cleaning away the small smudge of cocoa powder there and then bringing his hand up to his own mouth and absently licking the digit clean. She growled softly, and he gave her a small, lazy smirk that did all sorts of strange things to her insides.

Shinji shut the lid of the box of chocolates still in his other hand and then gave it to his lover. She was more than happy to accept.

"Keep them for later," he told her, his voice husky with intent, and suddenly, she seemed more interested in him than in the special gift he had brought her, her feline eyes glowing with the stirrings of feminine desire as she watched him. Her attention made his blood heat up. She was giving him that particular look that was just asking for her to be ravished by him, and it was becoming increasingly difficult not to take her up on her unspoken offer.

"C'mon, let's get outta here."

He took her hand in his and led her out into the night.

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Uhm, nothing much to explain here, though I should probably warn that the next two chapters will also be of the fluffy/romantic/smutty variety, so please keep your Shoujo glasses on, ahaha.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

As always, thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	19. Chapter 19

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3008

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 16/08/13

**Completed on:** 17/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 23/09/13

* * *

**Date Night – Part II**

* * *

He brought her to the park.

She was bewildered by his choice of location at first, but then she noticed the large platform that had been set up in the middle of the park, right in the main field by the duck pond. There was a surprising amount of humans milling about the place too, picnic mats spread all over the place in front of the stage, and it seemed like they were having a huge party right there on the flat meadow.

"What's this?" she blurted out, eying her surroundings curiously. He did not answer her straightaway, but playfully placed an index finger against his lips to hush her questions before he simply led her off to the sidelines of the field and into the adjacent tree line, where it was quiet and utterly devoid of people. It was a short walk before they reached a small clearing, one that was near enough that they could still hear the stage that was a small ways over, but yet allotted them complete privacy away from the main crowd. She could also sense the powerful Kido barrier cast around the place as they stepped through it, one that would ensure absolute seclusion from the rest of the world and deter any curious beings from entering.

Hiyori stared at the sight before her. There, under the sheltering boughs of an enormous tree, was a large but rather cozy looking construct that seemed to be made out of nothing but blankets, bed sheets, carpets and fluffy pillows. The wide, tented roof was cleverly formed by draping heavy quilts over a sturdy, wooden frame, and through the entrance, she could see that its interior was laid out with nothing but soft bedding and cushions, looking utterly warm and inviting. The entire place was lit up by strings of light and strategically placed candle lanterns, the soft, flickering lighting lending an undeniably romantic atmosphere to the previously empty and unremarkable clearing.

Shinji chuckled softly at the utterly stumped expression on his lover's face.

"Pretty sweet, huh?" he drawled, sounding quite pleased with himself for coming up with the idea on his own. "I made us a 'lil love nest for tonight. Ya like?"

She slowly turned her head to look at him. And then, she promptly kicked him right in the shin.

"Ya make it sound so disgustin'," she snapped, but there was no denying the bewildered fluster in her voice and the hint of a flush on her face. She hadn't really put a lot of strength into her kick, and so he took her surprised reaction as a sign of her approval. Grinning unrepentantly at her, he dropped a heavy arm around her shoulders and drew her protesting form to him to drop a quick kiss on her mouth.

"C'mon," he told her affectionately. "Let's get settled. Ya hungry?"

As usual, nothing got her moving faster than the promise of food, and she allowed him to guide her towards the blanket fort that he'd erected for the occasion. Kicking off her slippers, she slowly ducked under the low roof and entered cautiously. Much to her secret pleasure, the inside was every bit as comfortable as it had looked to her earlier. Relaxing slightly, Hiyori immediately clambered deeper in and claimed the spot with the highest density of soft, fluffy surfaces, making herself comfortable amongst the nest of blankets and pillows. Her lover followed her in, and he pulled out a picnic basket and a cooler from the side. She scooted over quickly to see what he had, and she wasn't disappointed.

He presented to her several neatly arranged plates of finger food – club sandwiches, wraps, canapés, cold cuts and cheese – and although they weren't anything very complicated or exquisite enough to write home about, they were still pretty damn good. For drinks, there was chilled lemonade and bottled water, nothing even remotely alcoholic though – after the last time she got drunk, Shinji really didn't want to take his chances.

"How the hell did ya find the time to do all this?" Hiyori asked in between bites as she dug in ravenously.

"It's a secret," he replied, eyeing her fondly as she seemed to enjoy the meal. He took advantage of her preoccupation with the food to get in closer, casually lounging beside her like a lazy cat and propping his chin on an upturned palm to watch her. She gave him a somewhat disgruntled stare.

"What?" she demanded snippily, feeling a bit self-conscious all of a sudden. "What do ya want?"

"Nothin'," he answered all too innocuously, even as he picked up a canapé and bit into it. "Ya seem 'ta be enjoyin' this date so far, brat."

She could feel her cheeks heating up slightly, but she could not deny his remark. She shrugged and tried to look as nonchalant as she could manage it. "It's okay, I s'pose. At least there's food."

It was more than just okay, to be honest, and he probably already knew it, judging by the small grin on his face. He had taken into consideration her dislike for crowds (the sole exception being rock gigs) and places with formal, controlled environments like the fancy restaurants that couples usually went to for dates, and had still managed to create an experience that did not overtly stress or agitate her. She was quite liking this entire blanket fort thing, in fact; it was pretty nice and private…_andalsokindaromantic_. The baldy had really done his homework this time, and just when she thought that he had already revealed all the surprises up his sleeve, strains of music could suddenly be heard floating in from the outside.

She looked at him in surprise.

"They finally started," he commented, looking quite pleased, and then he arched a brow at her. "The night concert at the park, remember? And it's a jazz performance, too."

Sure enough, it was indeed his favorite kind of music. Unlike him, Hiyori was not exactly a huge fan, but it was still tolerable, and right now she was feeling mellow enough that the tunes that were being played the next field over did sound kind of nice to her. The acoustics were also surprisingly distinct despite the fact that they were not even in the same clearing as the performers, and even though it wasn't as good as it would be if they were in front of the stage together with the rest of the audience, Shinji seemed pretty happy with what they were getting, closing his eyes and letting the sounds of the jazz band wash over him.

The dumbass looked rather content at the moment, relaxing as he enjoyed the music and let it take him away from the stress of his work and other related responsibilities, if only for a while. Hiyori just left him to it as she focused on filling her stomach – she was not someone who required constant attention from her lover even if they happened to be on a date, most definitely not when there was food on hand as the ultimate equalizer. She slunk over to the cooler to look for dessert after she polished off her share of the main, and was not entirely surprised when she found it sitting at the bottom of the box. Lifting it out with a triumphant flourish – she came, she saw, she conquered – she was thrilled to see that it was a delicious looking strawberry trifle; sweet, fluffy whipped cream layered between pieces of soft, vanilla sponge cake and decorated with lots and lots of strawberries.

Oh yeah. This was the life.

She grabbed a clean spoon and quickly dug in with delighted relish. The juicy strawberry that she bit into was utterly delicious, and its sweet tartness went hand in hand with the light cream and the cake. Hiyori was happy, and she would gladly concentrate on finishing the yummy treat all on her own if not for the strong arm that suddenly snaked around her middle and pulled her back against a broad chest. The petite blonde squawked in surprise.

"Dammit, hage!"

He turned her around to face him, and was promptly treated to the rather comical sight of Hiyori hugging the trifle bowl to herself and looking sheepishly defensive at the same time. "Startin' dessert without me now, brat?" he asked with pointed amusement. "You gonna finish it all on your own?"

He simply knew her all too well, even though she looked away and quickly tried to deny it, pursing her lips as she did so. "'Course not! I was just tastin' it a little! And 'sides, you were more interested in your music anyway." She was clearly trying to change the subject, and so he obliged her.

"Oh, were ya feelin' neglected?" he teased softly, and she quickly reddened, seeming to realize abruptly how she had walked right into that one. "You have my full attention now, luv."

This was getting downright embarrassing for her (he made her sound like some overly needy and obsessive girlfriend), and she wanted it to stop, immediately. The petite blonde did the first thing that came into mind – she dug into the trifle and promptly shoved the entire spoonful of dessert into the baldy's big mouth.

"Here," she muttered abruptly. "Eat that and shut up."

He nearly choked on a rather large piece of strawberry. "Hiyori!" he reprimanded slightly once he finally got the fruit down, but she was completely unrepentant. The female Vizard took a spoonful of cream and slapped it across his face this time. Shinji growled, but she just smirked at him – he looked pretty funny at the moment.

"Alright. _That's it_." The Fifth Division Captain wrested the bowl from her grasp and quickly set it aside, ignoring her rather vocal protest as he lunged for her next. She scrambled to dodge him but forgot that she was wearing a dress and immediately tripped over the hem, spilling rather clumsily amongst the bedding with a muttered curse. He was more than fine with that and followed her down, pining her under him rather securely.

"Hage…! Lemme go!" she demanded, scowling at him.

"Nah. If you're gonna act like a child, then I'm gonna treat ya like one," he informed her, though she had trouble taking him seriously since he was still wearing dollops of cream on his face.

"I ain't a child," she retorted petulantly, and then she went right ahead and disproved her own statement when she lifted her head and licked a streak of cream off of his cheekbone in a rather juvenile tactic to disgust him and get him to back off of her.

Her brilliant idea backfired real quickly – she immediately gained his full attention instead, and his expression of mild irritation slid right off of his face. She wasn't exactly complaining, though. He was watching her closely now, and his masculine interest fed her feminine ego – made fissures of excitement run through her body. So, she did it again, this time reaching up more slowly to languidly lap off the rest of the trifle, deliberately pressing just a little closer and brushing her mouth provocatively against his skin as she did so. She peered at him from behind her long lashes and was immediately gratified to see him focused utterly on her, his pupils dilating ever so slightly with the sure signs of pleasure and arousal. She slowly licked her lips. He was definitely no longer paying attention to his jazz music.

Hiyori turned her head slightly and pressed her mouth against his, licking hungrily along the seam of his lips at the same time. His golden eyes darkened, became half lidded, and he responded to her by lowering his head and kissing her back, nipping her full bottom lip and sucking her slick tongue into his mouth to play with his own. She squirmed against him, leaning in impatiently for more. He had been subtly teasing her ever since they met this evening, and now that she was fed, she was perfectly open to the notion of him sating her other needs.

The petite blonde made no secret of the fact that she rather enjoyed the physical aspect of their relationship; sex with Shinji always gave her such a fierce, heady, adrenaline rush, and he also never failed to make her feel very, _very _good in the aftermath of the experience – there was nothing to dislike as far as Hiyori was concerned. The female Vizard moaned throatily as she rubbed up against her lover like an extremely affectionate feline, trying to get him to touch her more, her mouth sucking at his with fervent passion even as he drugged her with his deep, thorough kisses in turn, driving her wild and making her even more restless than she already was.

Shinji reached down and laid his hand on her bare knee, his callused fingers caressing the smooth skin there slowly. She was very, very impatient, wiggling under him and parting her legs slightly in invitation, wanting to feel his hands all over her body as quickly as possible. It was a challenge to keep her still – if he let her have her way, she would have flipped him onto his back and been all over him in an instant – she was such a fiercely passionate little thing and it was impossible not to be turned on by her when she was being so eager and ardent. This was not exactly what he had in mind when he planned the date, but Hiyori had always had a knack of throwing a wrench into his plans, and besides, he wasn't about to turn down her request to make love to her.

He moved his hand further up her leg, slipping under the hem of her dress, lightly squeezing her thigh with amorous affection, and she growled edgily against his mouth. As usual, he was taking his own sweet time, and she quickly grew fed up with his sloth-like (at least it certainly felt like that to her) exploration of her body. Not surprisingly, it didn't take long for Hiyori to decide to take matters into her own hand – literally.

Pulling away from that distracting mouth of his, the small blonde reached down to where her lover was very leisurely feeling her up and swiftly caught hold of his wrist, and then she very decisively dragged his hand straight up to where she was throbbing so badly and desperately needed his attentions the most. "Damn hage," she burst out a tad breathlessly even as she arched her smallish hips eagerly into his large palm. "Just how long are ya gonna keep gropin' around down there?"

But Shinji was no longer paying any attention to her words. He had just discovered something very amazing, and his lean frame slowly stiffened in disbelief as he looked at the little minx lying under him.

"Brat," he drew out slowly, huskily. "Where the hell's your underwear?"

He could directly feel the soft slickness of her tantalizing body as his long, narrow fingers probed at the juncture between her legs – she was already maddeningly moist – and completely and utterly free of any cloth barriers whatsoever.

Hiyori seemed to suddenly remember something. She simply lifted a bare shoulder in a careless and sexy shrug, much to his rising incredulity and arousal.

"I didn't wear any today."

She looked and sounded so utterly casual about it, and he stared at her for a moment before an unintelligible sound escaped him. Good god. She was going to drive him crazy.

Hiyori prodded her lover rather impatiently in the shoulder. "Can we get back 'ta the program already?" she demanded rather peevishly. "I already made it easier for ya by not puttin' on any panties. What's it gonna take 'ta get laid 'round here?"

Shinji didn't know whether to laugh or to groan at her bossy tone.

"Don't worry. You're definitely gettin' laid tonight," he muttered. He reached over and kissed her so hard and lustily that he managed to shut her up properly for at least a good minute or so. When he finally pulled away to let her breathe, she looked so beautifully dazed that his masculine pride was utterly stoked.

She was slightly bewildered and more than a bit disappointed when he withdrew from her then, easing up on her body to kneel between her legs instead. There was something utterly wicked in his eyes, though, and that made her heart start to race madly in her chest. How she both hated and loved that feeling of utter thrill that he could so easily stir up in her.

"Hiyori," Shinji drawled lazily, silkily, even as he wrapped his hands around her dainty ankles and slowly pulled her towards him, so that her dress gradually rode up to her middle and left her utterly exposed to him from the waist down. She did not resist him; after all, she wanted the same thing that he did, and the way his narrow, hungry eyes acutely took in everything of her made the tension in the pit of her stomach grow just a tad more taut than before.

Her bare legs were pale and slender, and without the additional bulk of the thick track pants she usually favored to hide her form, revealed her lithe, feminine build, from the delicate arch of her small feet to the slight, charming curve of her calves and the welcoming softness of her milky thighs. She was in complete disarray; her light blonde hair sexily mussed and spread unbound on the bedding, her cheeks flushed and her lips red and puffy, her glowing catlike eyes heavy with passion as she watched him – _she was utterly beguiling_.

In the background, the low, husky acoustics of the jazz saxophone reverberated lazily through the clearing, decadently smooth and provocative.

Shinji gave her a languorous smile, one that was filled with all sorts of sensual promise. Hiyori's breath hitched at that irresistible, roguish look on his face.

"Shall we dance, luv?"

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Oh well, I don't know what exactly came over me when I wrote this, but I suddenly thought that it would be really interesting if I can incorporate the idea of a blanket fort/night picnic theme into this mini 'date' arc. Well, I think it works…? It's private and romantic enough, and besides, I really have trouble picturing Hiyori willing to sit through a formal ten-course dinner in a rigid setting, so this does feel like the next best thing for her.

Blanket forts are really cozy! And great for canoodling couples!

(Disclaimer: A-herm. By the way, I've never build one myself but Pinterest sure made the idea look good enough to use!)

**xXxXxXxXxX**

…also, L&T is long overdue for the scheduled smut slot, so consider this the pre-event…? Haha.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

And yes, Hiyori might be dressed like a pretty little angel at the moment, but she definitely still has her naughty girl streak hidden inside!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Nothing else to add – hope you lot enjoyed this chapter!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Last but not least, thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	20. Chapter 20

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 4084

**Rating: **M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older) **SMUT WARNING!**

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 18/08/13

**Completed on:** 21/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 28/09/13

* * *

**Date Night – Part III**

* * *

The small golden-haired female was sprawled carelessly amongst the blankets, her dress bunched haphazardly around her middle, leaving her completely bare everywhere else.

Tiny red marks decorated her neck, shoulders and chest – the physical signs of affection left by her amorous lover – and her ochre eyes were fogged with passion, vague and unseeing as she stared straight ahead, her hands curled into tiny fists by her sides, bunching the sheets under her as she struggled not to yell out her pleasure to the vast starlit skies above. She was trembling finely, her nude, nubile body hypersensitive against the cool night air, her small, pert breasts aching with the need to be caressed and kissed once again by long, elegant fingers and a hot, tender mouth.

Her breathing was rapid, her chest rising up and down quickly, the delineation of her ribcage obvious as it moved with every sharp intake of breath. The soft candle lights cast flickering shadows over her small, waiflike form. She was tense with arousal, the needy expression on her face highly erotic and alluring at the same time, and she had to bite her lips to keep from letting any sound escape her. Fuck. He was _killing_ her. He was killing her so damn good that she had to fight not to give in to her natural instincts and-

"_Nnnngh_."

The helpless little whine spilled out from her throat when he deliberately swirled his tongue hard against her clitoris, and her hips immediately surged against his mouth, powerless to resist his relentless assault on her senses.

He held her down firmly and paused in his ministrations, and she nearly cried when he stopped. He slowly lifted his head from between her legs and licked his lips, sampling her delicate essence on his palate.

"Hiyori," Shinji's voice was husky, intimate. Teasing. "What did I say 'bout keepin' quiet?"

She was flushed, utterly hot and bothered, and she was really regretting agreeing to his completely torturous condition. She shook her head wordlessly at him, not trusting herself to speak, her jaw clenched tight with lust and frustration, and he just looked amusedly at her, damn him.

"I'll give ya 'nother chance. One more sound from ya, and I'm stoppin' for good. I'm enjoyin' the concert right now, ya know."

Fuck the concert, she wanted to yell at him, but she was still bound to the agreement that he had tricked her into earlier, and he was loving her so damn well that she could not bring herself to do anything to jeopardize the sheer pleasure that he was bringing her. She was feeling so flustered and mad with desire, and just about everything was exciting her right now, churning her into a crazed frenzy; from the attentive, heavy lidded look on his face to the feel of his large hands gripping her thighs, and even the slow, decadent jazz music playing in the background sounded like sensuous sex to her.

After this evening, she would never, _ever_, see his favorite music genre as boring or old fashioned again.

He lifted her effortlessly and pushed a pillow under her lower back, propping her hips up further so that the position gave him easier access to her body. She was utterly pliant to his maneuvering, conceding to him in this instance, closing her eyes as she tried rather futilely to calm the frantic racing of her heart. She could sense him shifting his weight slightly, settling back between her legs like a lazy tomcat; she shivered as his long fingers caressed her inner thigh, and her eyes burst open when she felt his mouth replace his hand in a sensual kiss.

There was a swift intake of air on her side as their gazes met, and he did not break eye contact as his hot, moist mouth moved leisurely over her silken flesh, his tongue flicking lightly over the sensitive skin, and then he suckled slowly, intentionally leaving another small, red mark of possession mere inches away from her flowering arousal. He was not nearly cruel enough to leave her hanging while he was worshipping other parts of her body, and she jerked slightly when he brushed his fingers against the intense moistness between her legs, his thumb sliding achingly slow against her swollen vulva to rub the tiny pearl that nestled within it.

Hiyori had to turn her face to the side and clamp her mouth shut to keep from crying out, her slender torso twisting beautifully as she arched up from the bedding. She didn't know how much longer she could stand this exquisite form of torture, but it felt so damn _good_, and she was getting so turned on by it that she was shaking uncontrollably with acute sexual tension. She was panting softly like she had just slaughtered an entire slew of Menos Grandes, and she felt so hyperaware of _him_ that it was almost painful.

He pulled her bodily back to him and licked softly at the little love bite that he had just put on her inner thigh. Then, still looking at her, he slowly lifted her leg and draped it over his shoulder. Giving the tiny bruise one last affectionate kiss, he moved even closer to her, finally putting both of his hands to good use between her legs. The position that he put her in left her completely and lewdly open to his hungry gaze, and he took the time to admire the way her womanhood glistened beautifully from sexual excitement, her flushed and plump labia parted to reveal the pretty pink flesh hidden within.

She looked mouthwateringly luscious, and he knew for a fact that she tasted exquisite. Her delectable, womanly scent clouded his head, and he did not hesitate as he put his mouth on that most sensitive part of her once more, moving his lips deliberately against her slick entrance, his pierced tongue insistently parting her slippery folds again and again, greedily lapping up the sweet nectar of her body even as she writhed under him.

Caught in the throes of carnal lust, Hiyori brought her forearm to her mouth and bit down on it to keep from moaning out loud. Her head thrashed from side to side, and at last she made a wild grab for one of the smaller cushions lying nearby, bringing it up to her face to gag herself with it. Bloody hell, that sinful mouth of his was going to be her undoing. The way he was quickly flicking his tongue against her clit made her toes curl and her eyes threaten to roll into the back of her head, and she was already strung so taut with arousal that when he pushed a long finger into her tight, convulsing passage to further intensify her experience, stroking her quickly and urgently, she very swiftly lost it, bucking against him madly as he overwhelmed her senses with sheer pleasure.

Shinji stilled completely as he let her orgasm overtake her, his mouth pressed against her heaving body in a silent kiss, his large, narrow hands steadying her as she suddenly clamped tight and came apart with a muffled scream. She remained tensed for the longest time, her slight form quivering finely from the sheer force of her release, and she was so delightfully wet that he could not help but slowly start to lap at her again, languidly and repeatedly sliding his tongue into her small physique to coax out more of that addictive honeyed sweetness.

She mewed weakly, so acutely aware of his every action even when her body felt utterly boneless and she was already limp from satisfaction. He was still not done with her though, and took advantage of her momentary passivity to continue to make love to her with his mouth, wrapping his lips around the painfully sensitive bundle of nerve endings and sucking lightly on it, drinking from her body and using the rough pad of his tongue to stimulate her relentlessly. Her lithe, perspiration-slicked body was still experiencing the aftershocks from her previous climax, still hypersensitive from his exquisite attentions, and it didn't take long for him to nudge her over the edge once more, and this time, she wailed his name into the pillow, loud enough that he could clearly hear it despite her rather futile attempt to restrain herself.

He smiled inwardly. She was cute when she was like that.

She was lying in a disheveled, wildly abandoned heap before him, her limbs sprawled haphazardly around her and the expression on her face dazed and languid from spent passion. She looked irresistibly sexy to him, and he slowly sat up, lightly swiping a thumb across his damp mouth and then licking the pad of his finger deliberately as he did so. She was watching him, her eyes darkening, ochre depths slowly stirring with renewed desire for him. She pushed herself up shakily and crawled over to him, leaning up and kissing him eagerly. She was being very demonstrative, rubbing against him with needy euphoria, drunk from pleasure and the oxytocin running through her veins, and he groaned at her amorously affectionate onslaught.

Her mouth sucked at his hungrily, her tongue darting out to lick at his lips, small teeth nipping lightly, and she seemed to grow even more excited as she tasted herself on him. He was still fully clothed whereas she was already unabashedly nude as the day she was born, her dress now crumpled and bunched uselessly around her middle. She climbed onto his lap and pushed up against him, hurriedly divesting him of his blazer and all but ready to rip his shirt off of him next, but he stopped her before she could ruin the fabric – he had already lost more than his share of shirts thanks to her impatient hands, and this one happened to be one of his favorites – and undid the buttons himself instead.

Hiyori ground lightly against him and ducked her head against his exposed neck, restlessly kissing every inch of bare skin that she could reach, and she was being so damn fervent and passionate that he had trouble containing her. Her hands moved down to his pants even as her mouth roved over his exposed chest, running her tongue against his defined pectorals and male nipples, scraping her teeth against his flesh even as her nimble fingers worked speedily to unfasten his belt and his zipper. She started to delve beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs, and she pushed him down onto the bedding at the same time. Hiyori straddled his thighs even as her small hand closed around his erection, quickly freeing him from the confines of his clothes.

He was already heavy and stiff with arousal, and she shimmied down the length of his legs, bending over to kiss the head of his penis. She rubbed her lips affectionately against the sensitive ridge of his shaft, and then swirled her tongue in his slit, and his stomach clenched at the sensation. Then, she was licking him from root to tip, again and again, her saliva mixing with the traces of clear pre-ejaculate that were leaking out from him as a sign of sexual excitement, lubricating him even as she wrapped one hand around his girth and stroked him eagerly, her other hand playing with his balls in a way that she knew he was utterly weak to. She was touching him with such enthusiasm, and he could not help but instinctively react to the utterly wanton sight of her pleasuring him, and when she took him into his mouth, cherry red lips wrapped around his hard length even as she continued to give him a hand job, something in him snapped.

He sat up suddenly and swiftly grabbed her, forcing her to release him and dislodging her from his body as he got into a crouch before her. Snaking an arm around her small waist, he lifted her effortlessly and swiveled her around so that she was facing away from him, and then he pushed her onto her hands and knees. She was so light that it was utterly easy to maneuver her, and he nudged her down further onto the bedspread, so that she was bent right over in front of him, her shoulders resting against the soft surface while her flanks were still raised up in the air, supported by her knees. Her new position provided him a very erotic view of her flowering womanhood, and he wasted no time divesting himself of the rest of his clothes and then rising up over her to cover her smaller form.

Hiyori was surprised by how quickly he had moved, but Shinji did not give her much time to wonder what he was up to. Lowering his head, he thoroughly kissed the erogenous zones of her exposed shoulders and neck, his large hands caressing her bare stomach and chest, and it wasn't long before she was squirming needily against him again. Growing increasingly flustered by his ministrations, she tried to reach around to touch him once again, but he just bore down on her with his weight and gave her no leeway to move. His hot mouth caressed the slender column of her throat, and a tiny sound escaped her.

"_Shhh_," he husked, and shivers ran up her spine at the silky tone of his voice. "No noise, remember?"

He definitely had got to be fucking kidding her. All she could think of was screwing him right now and if he thought that she still cared about his stupid game and his stupid music, then he was going to be in for a big surprise.

"If ya want me 'ta be quiet, then shut me up yourself," she challenged him irritably, turning her head to glower at him, her ochre eyes dark with lust.

To her surprise, he chuckled.

"I was wonderin' how much more it was gonna take before ya caved," he remarked in a low, delicious tenor, and the expression on her face was a mix of annoyance and arousal when she realized that was the true condition of his terribly unamusing game. It was never even about his jazz concert, which was still playing in the background, though neither of them was paying the music much attention right now.

"Damn baldy…" she growled, looking quite affronted. He moved in and kissed her hungrily before her temper could ignite, and that quieted her for a bit. His hand crept downwards from her waist to the feminine treasure nestled between her legs, and his voracious little lover immediately rubbed herself against his fingers, panting at the maddening friction. His digits came away wet, and he slid his hand to her thigh next, coaxing her to spread her legs further apart, opening her up for his lovemaking.

She bucked into him impatiently, and he nipped at her bare shoulder in light reprimand, though that only served to turn her on even more, judging by her rough purr of sensual delight. Wrapping his arm around her middle once again to still her, he finally, slowly, pressed the tip of his erection against her slick entrance.

Hiyori strained against him, trying to take all of him in her immediately, but he held her down firmly, controlling the depth and speed of his penetration. "You've had your fun, brat," he murmured wickedly against the shell of her ear. "Now's my turn."

He slid slowly into her, filling her completely in one thrust, much to her quiet moan of pleasure. The position he put her in made it easier for him to enter her; she was so small that it was usually a struggle to fit himself inside of her at first – and he enjoyed how she was contracting around him, her inner muscles rippling furiously as he remained fully hilted in her. His hand reached down between her legs once more, and he started to move against her, his fingers gently caressing her clitoris, plump and swollen from sexual excitement, once again stirring her up at the same time as he pulled out of her before sinking back in again.

She could feel every inch of him acutely as he moved against her, every sinful glide of his flanks intensifying her pleasure, and her knees threatened to go out on her when he went in so deep that the tip of his arousal hit the entrance of her cervix.

"_Shit_, Shinji!" she squeaked breathlessly, buckling slightly under him before he simply pulled her upright, supporting her weight with a strong arm even as he angled her to receive him better. Her breath hitched helplessly when he did it again, and the pain-pleasure sensation drove her wild. She turned her face into the bedding and bit into the fabric, and then she curved the lower half of her body up into his sleek, sinewy loins, rubbing her bottom against him in an entirely enticing way that made him grit his teeth and drive hard into her. She gasped, and then she was quickly begging for more.

He slowly pressed her down onto her stomach until she was lying flat on the blankets, and then he straddled her from the back, grinding against the beguiling softness of her shapely behind, hissing at how snug she was. His lean, rangy frame was curled over her smaller one as he held her down with one hand on the small of her back and the other between her shoulder blades, and he bent down to kiss the side of her slender throat even as he continued to thrust into her. The way her body was grasping hungrily at his was simply intoxicating, and the feel of her was so amazing that it was a challenge not to lose control and just ride her, _hard_.

Hiyori was also not making matters easy for him. His petite lover was struggling under him, trying to match his movements, and the frantic little sounds that came out from her mouth were arousing as hell. At last, he shifted over her, briefly pinning her with his full weight before curling an arm around her middle once again and anchoring her slight form to his own. She was shivering against him, very much on edge, and he rolled onto his side on the bedding, taking her with him and spooning her intimately. She whimpered when their movements made him shift inside of her, setting off sparks of pleasure across the numerous nerve endings lined along her inner walls, and she quickly squeezed hard around his shaft in reaction.

He swore lightly under his breath – she was so damn _tight_. Shinji reached down to the crook of her knee with his free hand and draped her leg over his hip, propping her small feet against the back of his upper thigh, opening her up slightly and easing the pressure somewhat. He lazily rolled his hips against hers, his hand slipping over from her slender, trembling limb to possessively cup her mound of Venus, his long, elegant digits sliding against her slick folds, fingering her once again as he continued to move in and out of her in long, thorough strokes.

She was becoming very tense – she was already all strung up from his tender ministrations earlier and, right now, everything was putting her into overdrive, the feel of his body against hers, the musky , heady scent of his cologne, the way he was loving her _so good_ – the fierce ball of need gathering in the pit of her belly was becoming tighter and tighter, and she turned her face frantically to his, meeting his mouth in a lusty, carnal kiss even as she moved instinctively to meet every powerful flex of his loins.

"Shinji," she panted against his lips, her eyes glowing with wild passion. "_Harder_. Fuck me _harder_."

He could sense that she was very close to completion, and so he obliged her, picking up on the pace of their lovemaking and pulling her tight against him, and she seemed to curl into him, quivering as he increased the speed of his thrusts, his head ducking against her exposed neck as he bit down lightly on the sensitive flesh. She whined shakily, her hand coming up behind to briefly grab hold of his flank, her nails digging into his bare flesh as he rocked hard against her. Their breathing was harsh, their bodies damp with a fine sheen of sweat, and exhilaration heated their bloods as they bonded with each other physically.

Hiyori was quickly overwhelmed when all that tension building inside of her suddenly burst apart in a powerful shower of sensual pleasure. Her fingers dug into the bedding and she froze mid arch, a loud, breathless cry escaping her as she met her release, this one by far the most powerful out of all the others that her lover had given her that evening. Shinji's arm tightened around her waist as she shuddered and shook helplessly against him, overtaken by her orgasm as she was momentarily blinded by the pure sensations of sexual gratification.

The fierce tide of her orgasm was enough to force Shinji to surrender to his own climax. Her inner muscles clamped down hard on him, and the sleek, undulating walls gripped around his erection like a hot, silken vice, massaging his male flesh with blatant eroticism. The explicitly wanton way she was mercilessly constricting around him made it extremely hard for him not to react to her body's instinctive stimulation, and he quickly buried himself completely in her in one last, hard stroke. The increasing pressure at the base of his spine quickly exploded in an intense climax as he stiffened and gave himself to the incredible persuasions of her heaving, welcoming womb, pouring his seed in her with a deep, husky groan of satisfaction.

For the longest moment, neither of them moved as they remained tangled in each other, their hearts pounding madly from their carnal exertions. Then, Shinji sighed and dropped a tired kiss on the small patch of skin behind Hiyori's ear. She had gone utterly limp in his arms after her release, her bare chest still moving a tad too quickly as she struggled to regain control of her senses. He raised his hand to turn her face to his, kissing her cheek and then brushing his mouth against her full, rosy lips. She slowly, languidly responded to his display of affection after a while, her feline gaze now lazy with contentment – she looked mussed and utterly well loved.

The petite blonde separated briefly from her lover and then wiggled around to face him. She reached up and started to kiss him hungrily, still feeling high from her orgasm, her tongue licking sweetly at his mouth even as she pressed her nude body up against him invitingly once more. He groaned again, this time with a mix of chagrin and amusement. The mixture of their essences was seeping from her body and staining her upper thighs, but she did not seem to care as she just pushed him onto his back and amorously continued to attack his neck and mouth. It was erotic as hell, and combined with her sheer magnetic presence and affectionate demeanor, he was very soon raring to go once more.

Rolling her under him, he reached out to cup one of her small but sensitive breasts. She arched eagerly into his hand, looking at him with heavy lidded passion.

"Ya insatiable minx," he chided huskily. "You're lucky that I love ya."

His unabashed and very casual declaration of affection made her flush in reaction. Even after all this time, she was still not quite sure how to handle his verbal avowal of love for her. He was obviously waiting for her reply though, and she at last, very reluctantly, did so, her cheeks glowing red with embarrassment.

"Ya the only one I'm makin' love with," she muttered, trying at the same time to look anywhere else but at him. "Of course I want as much of ya as I can get."

Her awkward reply was kind of endearing, and he also knew that she was still feeling a bit insecure and anxious after their one year separation, hence her increased physical need for him.

"Ya can just tell me right off the bat that ya love me too, ya know," he told her almost teasingly, and she just turned a brighter shade of red.

"S-Shut up already, dumbass!"

* * *

**Omake**

It was a while later, when they were both utterly spent from the acts of their lovemaking and the night was long silent, that Hiyori suddenly remembered her prior discussion with Lisa.

The female Vizard lifted her head from her lover's chest and spoke, rousing the other blonde from his light doze.

"Hey baldy, let's go 'ta a love hotel next time. It looks interestin'."

Unsurprisingly, Shinji quickly came awake at her innocuous but completely unexpected remark, an incredulous look on his face as he swiveled his head down to stare at her.

"_What?!_"

Hiyori looked mildly surprised at his flabbergasted expression – this was strange.

"Lisa said that you'd bring me."

Of course. He should have known.

"Lisa, huh?" Shinji muttered, sounding a bit vexed now. Just what on earth was the other Vizard teaching his brat? "Do ya even know what a love hotel is for, Hiyori?" he demanded to know next.

Hiyori shrugged slightly. "I saw the pictures in Lisa's manga. She said that it's a playground, but for adults. I've never been 'ta a playground for adults before."

She sounded way too interested for his peace of mind.

"You better not have," he retorted exasperatedly in response to her comment. When she started to frown slightly at him, he sighed and explained to her what people did in love hotels.

"Oh." There was a brief pause as she digested the information. "Well, can we still go?"

"_Hiyori_!"

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Well, I hope this chapter pleased at least a few of you. I definitely had fun writing it, and I hope that it was worth the wait for you guys.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

FYI, according to Wikipedia, before Jazz (the music genre) was invented, the word 'Jazz' used to be associated with/mean sex. In fact, Jazz (the music genre) was named thusly because of its sexy sounds.

Well, I can't object to that – one more reason why Shinji's just oh so irresistible, huh?

**xXxXxXxXxX**

New arc again in the next chapter – we will be going back in time once more, so please look forward to it!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Last but not least, thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	21. Chapter 21

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3761

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 22/08/13

**Completed on:** 24/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 05/10/13

* * *

**Pre-Series Interlude: Fade to Black**

* * *

It had been a year since they were exiled to the Living Realm, twelve months since they narrowly escaped execution from Soul Society, fifty two weeks since they had been betrayed, and three hundred and sixty five days since they had been turned into the monsters that they had always been trained to kill.

By now, the optimistic hope that their Hollowfied condition could be reversed was quickly waning. Some days they could barely keep their Inner Hollows in check, and it was a constant struggle not to give in to the increasing rage and fury that was just _boiling_ under the thin veneer of their fake skins, tempting them to lose control and just let go and watch the world burn. Urahara was still doing his best to find a way to _fix them_, racing against the clock as he tried to figure out just why they were all still so unstable despite the Hogyoku already working to completely halt any further Hollow transmutation, but none of them even knew if they could ever be _fixed_.

And even if they were, what would they do? Where would they go? They were the castaways, abandoned and discarded. They would never be allowed to return to Seireitei.

Now, they were the monsters of the worst kind. The sickening, disgusting kind that hid themselves in the shape of humans, mingling with the Living who remained completely clueless and oblivious to the unhinged, unspeakable terrors that walked amongst them.

Reviled. Hated. Feared.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

No, what had happened to them was not something that could be easily fixed, and they all knew it, deep inside their hearts. They were just prolonging the inevitable by pretending not to see the truth, and really, it was no surprise that after one year of intentional self-deception, most of them were already thoroughly sick of their situation.

Neither here nor there. Unable to move forward, yet also not allowed to turn back. Stuck. Limbo.

It was well past time for them to face stark reality, re-gather the shattered pieces of their lives, and move on.

That was what they should be doing, in theory.

But none of them could quite bring themselves take that excruciating first step, to shed their last fraying ties to the Land of the Dead, and embrace Life instead. Soul Society, Seireitei and the Goteijusantai were what they had always known, and the world of the Living was unexpectedly huge and intimidating, _foreign_. Even after a year of exile in this alien dimension, there were a lot of things that still stumped and shocked them, and it was completely disorienting, to say the least.

They were all old Souls, used to living long lives that saw little to no changes in their routines, and suddenly having to adapt to the extremely fast pace of humans was…incredibly difficult to take in, to say the least.

It was the dawn of the Meiji Era, and the Industrial Revolution was just beginning, ushering in a new age the likes of which Japan had never seen before. Foreigners from the West were arriving in droves, bringing with them their strange gaijin culture, technology and knowledge. It was complete chaos, and it was the perfect opportunity to integrate themselves into the human society.

Yoruichi had also recently sent word over that the Gotei 13 had already called off the search for them – in the eyes of Seireitei, they had ceased to exist.

Life went on.

Change was inevitable.

One day, Shinji simply walked into the common living area of the small machiya that they were holing up in and affirmed what they all already knew.

"I just spoke 'ta Kisuke; our problem's gonna take a little longer 'ta fix, so we'll all be hangin' 'round here for a while. Sorry."

It was short, sweet and concise, and no one was quite surprised by his verdict, even though hearing the verbal confirmation was upsetting all the same. What really astonished them, however, was Shinji's appearance. The ex-Captain was clad in a simple cotton yukata like what most of them were wearing, but that was not what had dumbfounded them.

Kensei closed his eyes and looked away, immediately recognizing Shinji's deed for what it clearly was, turning his attention to distracting Mashiro who was already wailing to go back to Seireitei.

The others were speechless, and then there was Hiyori, who froze with disbelief at first, before she silently started to shake.

Shinji continued to talk, deliberately disregarding the looks that he was getting from his fellow ex-Shinigami.

"We've been observin' the humans long enough to emulate their customs with reasonable accuracy, so there shouldn't be any problem assimilating into their society-"

"What did ya do, Shinji," Hiyori cut him off abruptly then, hissing softly like an angry rattlesnake. "_What the fuckin' hell did ya do_."

Shinji ignored the increasingly agitated girl and kept right on speaking.

"Kisuke has some contacts who will help us get settled; I think we should keep our heads down for a while-"

"_Damn hage_," Hiyori roared then, raw fury percolating her voice as she stood up from the floor where she had been sitting earlier. The others remained silent, and even Mashiro's tantrum stopped abruptly at the dangerous flare of reiatsu that radiated intensely from the small, golden-haired female in their midst. "Your _hair_. _Where's the rest of your goddamn fugly hair_."

He had left earlier that morning looking like his usual idiotic self. But now, he had returned to them missing at least two feet of his hair – the same long silken, golden strands that he was so utterly vain about – and he was behaving as if there was nothing out of the ordinary at all. The implication of what he had done was immense. She could not stand it at all. How dare he. _How fucking dare he_.

Shinji reached up and absently touched the tips of his newly shortened hair. Something in his deceptively calm, neutral eyes darkened, before it slipped away behind a veil of maddening nonchalance. He shrugged casually, but the look on his face was unreadable. "Aa. I decided 'ta cut it. Looks good, doesn't it? I think short hair fits me very well-"

The small pigtailed blonde was right in front of him in an instant, and before he could complete his stupid sentence, she jumped him and nailed him straight across the face with a mean right hook. The force of the blow was powerful enough to check him bodily out of the living area and send him smashing right through the wooden walls of the building with a god awful crash. He landed roughly in the backyard of the house that they were temporarily staying in, but not before completely messing up the decrepit vegetable garden that Hachi and Rose were attempting to cultivate with little success.

It was fall and it was pouring outside; his clothes were immediately soaked by the rain, and he could feel mud seeping into the back of his yukata where he was lying on the ground, just as surely as the side of his cheek was aching sharply from Hiyori's fierce attack. She had probably fractured his cheek with that one single hit since he had not bothered to shield himself from it at all, and even now, he could still sense her raw anger as she swiftly approached him – this was not over yet.

The muted sounds of her zori sandals slapping against the muddy ground stopped abruptly, and her shadow fell over his face as she stood over him. She was the only one who had come out after him; the others were wise enough not to interfere. She was also getting rapidly drenched just like he was, the cold rain seeping into her clothes and turning her flaxen hair into a darker shade of gold. Water ran down her face in swift rivulets, and despite the wet and miserable weather, her ochre eyes burned with ferocity as they met his, and her hands were clenched into little fists by her side.

"Get up," she bit out at last. "Get the hell up right now, ya lousy piece of shit."

He just looked up at her blankly. "You're gonna have 'ta mend that hole in the wall later," he merely remarked all too calmly in return, and her face visibly darkened with rage.

"Cut the crap," she hissed. "The fuck are ya tryin' 'ta pull, huh? Tell me; _what the fuck are ya tryin' 'ta pull_?!"

Just the sight of him right at the moment pissed her off badly and made her so furious that she could spit nails. His hair had been shortened so drastically that it barely reached his jawline now, and even though mud-streaked and disheveled from his impromptu flight and subsequent roll in the garden, she could easily picture how he had cut it himself - gathered all that long hair of his that he was so proud of and then callously slicing it off at the nape to attain that sort of abrupt, choppy appearance.

There was only one reason why someone as immaculate and fastidious as him would do something so utterly incomprehensible like this. He was a warrior first and foremost - hair had always been a traditional symbol of pride and personal honor.

_And for a warrior to ritually cut off that much of his hair—_

The realization hurt her, made her feel like she was going to be wholly and utterly sick.

Her shaking knees started to give way, and she slowly and silently sank into a kneeling position beside him in the rain. He stared at her for the longest time. She was no longer paying him any attention, but the look of grief that crossed her face haunted him, and as much as he wanted to close his eyes and look away, he willed himself not to do so. Immense guilt threatened to choke him, just like it had been slowly suffocating him for the past year or so. It had been his responsibility to watch Aizen and keep him in check, and he had failed. If only he had realized what was going on earlier. If only he had not arrogantly underestimated the sheer and utter depth of his traitorous subordinate's daring ambition. If only he had paid more attention.

_If only. _

It was his fault. His mistake. And now, they were all paying for it.

Today, Kisuke had confirmed for certain the worst case scenario – this was not something that could be fixed instantly. They were looking at decades – centuries, even – before anything could be done to begin to correct this injustice. For his critical oversight, his grave error in judgment, he owed them all an apology, an answer, and even though whatever he could say would _never_ be enough, this was better than nothing.

"I'm _sorry_," he whispered hoarsely, quietly, revealing the first real traces of emotion since their encounter.

Hiyori's eyes immediately flashed with anger, and she was on him in the blink of an eye, straddling his chest to hold him down, pulling her clenched hand back sharply and slugging him hard in the face again. He grunted, but put up no defense against her violent rage.

"_Shut up_," she yelled as she continued to hit him, pummeling him again and again with small fists of fury. "Shut. Up. You have no right 'ta say sorry at all, asshole!"

His utter lack of a response enraged her further, and she hit him even harder, punching his face in again and again like it was going out of fashion, hard enough that the sickening thuds of flesh meeting flesh could be heard above the dull roar of the rain pouring down from the grey skies above. She broke his nose with her wild blows and she also knocked loose a couple of his teeth, and copious amounts of blood welled up from split lips and ruptured blood vessels, the crimson, viscous fluid mixing with the droplets of water falling overhead, smearing across his face and coating on the back of her fists.

But no matter how viciously she attacked him, that empty expression on his face refused to go away, and her heart clenched. It was as if she could feel every single blow that she was raining down on him.

_It hurt and_ _she did not know why_.

"Why aren't ya defendin' yourself?!" she howled at him, even as she was rapidly losing strength and she just kept on carrying through with the motions. The skin over her knuckles was bruised and split open from hitting him so much, spilling her own blood to mix with his; her crimson stained hands bounced off of his face, and then she was clenching the lapels of his yukata, lifting him up slightly and shaking him futilely, drawing her furious face right up to his. "Defend yourself, bastard! Fight me! Hit me back, damn you!"

But Shinji remained limp and unresisting in her hold, and at last, she just dropped him back onto the mud. And then all the rage was gone, spent, leaving behind nothing but aching emptiness. She was panting hard from her exertions, and she just sat there silently on top of him for the longest time.

"Damn you," she whispered again at last, her tone bitter. "_This is all your fault_."

That finally drew a response from him. He flinched.

Water dripped onto his face, mingled with his blood. Unlike the chilling cold of rain, this was warm. _Tears_.

She was hunched over him, her eyes clenched shut, her face red, her expression twisted in agony. Her slight frame shook silently as she cried, and saline flowed down her cheeks to fall on his. She punched him weakly in the shoulder once more, and then she slowly sank down against him, curling into his chest to weep her heart out, her strength utterly spent in her violent emotional outburst.

She mourned their loss; things would _never_ go back to the way they used to be – they had to move on. A part of her grieved for him as well, for the crippling remorse she knew that he felt for having failed them, when he, too, was a victim of this entirely sickening set of circumstances. How dare he just lay the blame at his own feet like that? Who was he to decide that he should take responsibility for what had happened to all of them? She had seen what his guilt had done to him for the last year or so, and his pain was hurting her too.

"S-Shinji, ya dumb shit," she burst out then, furious at him for being such a selfless, self-sacrificing, noble _moron_. "Stupid, stupid, STUPID! You're the biggest idiot in the world!"

The small blonde was trying so hard not to cry, but the more she thought of how unfair everything was right now, the harder the tears kept flowing. And him, of all people, just basically laying down his pride and honor for all of them—

She could not take it at all – she refused to accept it. His decision made her so angry and upset, and she didn't know what else to do but to whale on him. It wasn't going to make him change his mind, but at least it made her feel a bit better.

"Why did ya have 'ta go and do that?! We've other things 'ta worry 'bout right now and the first thing ya decide 'ta do is 'ta go get a stupid haircut?! Just go 'ta hell, ya bloody asswipe."

He was frankly bewildered by her response. But she was a trembling ball of upset leaning on him right now, and even though he was a complete mess himself, his first instinct was to comfort her. Slowly, hesitantly, he lifted a shaking hand and laid it on her back. She sniffled noisily at his touch.

"Hiyori," he uttered raspily – it hurt to even talk – and he also had to clear his throat because all the blood from his busted nose was flowing backwards and threatening to obstruct his air passage.

"Don't 'Hiyori' me!" she snapped, lifting her head to glare daggers at him, quickly wiping at her watering eyes with the back of her hand as she did so, unmindfully streaking her own cheeks and forehead with their blood. The appeasing sight of his badly bruised and injured face did wonders to soothe her boiling fury, especially since she was the one who had made him bleed and who had put all those wounds on that ugly mug of his in the first place. Hiyori dearly hoped that his entire face swelled up tomorrow and he looked as stupid as he was behaving right now.

"Ya think just cutting yer hair like some overdramatic little princess is enough 'ta atone for this?! Take some damn responsibility! I'm not gonna forgive ya until ya make it all right again, do ya understand, ya damn baldy?" she demanded with utter ferocity. "So stop lookin' like a fuckin' whipped puppy – we ain't dead yet and we haven't lost this fight! You can continue 'ta act like a little bitch all ya want, but I'm not going down like this!"

She was still rambling on angrily, but it finally began to dawn on him what she was saying.

Shinji's previously dull expression slowly sharpened, and he looked at the girl sitting on top of him with wonder.

"You're not angry, brat?" he asked carefully. She gave him an incredulous look and then immediately whacked him upside the head for his stupid question.

"Look at my face, hage Shinji," she scowled. "Do I look 'not angry' 'ta ya?! 'Cause if ya really think so, then somethin's wrong with yer fuckin'eyes! I'm angry! I'm mad as hell! I'm so fuckin' angry-"

"But not at me," he interrupted, still sounding surprised by his own discovery. "You're not angry at me."

Hiyori glared futilely at him. He looked so stumped that it immediately made her feel like hitting him again – because he was so _stupid_.

"You're a moron," she mumbled at last. "Only a moron would get angry with another moron," she declared decisively, never mind that she had certainly been quite upset earlier when she was beating up on him. "I'm savin' all my anger for that damn Aizen teme. The next time I see that douchebag, I'm gonna deck him so good, _he'll be cryin' for his mama for the next one hundred years_."

This time, the tone of her voice turned audibly dark with such seething hatred that her reiatsu spiked with incredible amounts of bloodlust. Her catlike eyes darkened dangerously – her Inner Hollow, not entirely subdued yet and therefore never too far beneath the surface, was threatening to emerge and take over at the soonest opportunity provided by her volatile temperament.

Shinji looked at the smaller female sharply. "Hiyori," he spoke her name simply but firmly, quickly snapping her out of it.

The petite blonde shook her head fiercely, struggling to reign in her unstable emotions. "I know," she barked roughly. "Ya don't need 'ta remind me."

She climbed off of the larger male then, clambering unsteadily to her feet. The rain had subsided to a light drizzle by now. She looked down at him irritably. "How long are ya gonna keep lying there like some angst ridden, misguided hero in those stupid novels that Lisa likes 'ta read? Is your head not outta your ass yet? I'll be happy to beat some more sense into ya if I have 'ta," she threatened rather convincingly, which was quite a feat since she looked rather bedraggled and waterlogged at the moment, and appeared about as intimidating as a drowned rat.

He really wasn't in the position to point fingers himself, since he probably looked worse off than her right now – he certainly felt that way. Taking heed of Hiyori's warning tone, Shinji slowly pushed himself upright as well, pinching the bridge of his nose and tilting his head back gingerly in an attempt to stop the insistent blood flow from his nasal passageways. His whole face felt extremely raw and bruised, his jaw was aching like it was dislocated, and he could only imagine what he looked like at the moment, after being subjected to the brat's tender mercies.

"I'm up, I'm up," he muttered, sounding slightly disgruntled. He touched his face gingerly with his fingers and his digits came away completely bloodied. Damn. She had really messed him up. "I can't believe ya really went ahead and hit me so hard."

Hiyori crossed her arms in front of her chest and huffed.

"I can't believe we have such a complete and utter moron for a leader," she retorted back in a significantly unimpressed and uncomplimentary fashion. She jerked her thumb sharply back towards their temporary lodging. "Ya wanna go back and explain your idiocy to them? 'Course they're all still waitin' for ya."

"Now?" he sounded vaguely horrified. "Lookin' like this?"

Yes, the dumbass was definitely back to normal, if he was worrying about stupid shit again.

Hiyori's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Don't push your luck, baldy. I kicked ya all the way out here; I can kick ya all the way back in too."

That got him on his feet quickly enough, and he held his hands out in surrender as he did so.

Shinji looked at the smaller blonde in a sobering manner.

"Is this really alright?"

It was pretty obvious what he was asking about.

Hiyori glowered at him. "Shut up, dumbass. Don't keep using us as an excuse 'ta feel sorry for yourself. I'm gettin' real sick of seein' ya mope around. From now on, yer gonna get smacked real good every time ya start actin' so stupid."

It was her special way of telling him that they were all in this together – and to stop guilt tripping himself before she did it for him in a much more painful manner. It was just like her to be brutal and exacting in her kindness, and maybe that was exactly what he needed.

Shinji reckoned that he was going to require more servings of helpful reminders from her in the future. She was surprisingly merciful in this instance, certainly more so than he deserved. He quickly found himself appreciating her forceful yet stabilizing presence.

"Fair enough," he told her quietly as he followed her back into the house.

"I'll hold ya 'ta it, then."

* * *

**Omake #1**

The next morning, Hiyori scowled at the idiot who had just cornered her in the hallway and tried to make herself look even bigger by puffing herself up slightly.

"What? What do ya want now?" she demanded defensively, eying the damn baldy. It was obvious that Hachi must have had taken pity on him and cast some healing Kido on him, for he no longer looked like he had just been run over by an ox wagon. His face was still a riotous myriad of blues, purples, greens and yellows, but his broken nose had been corrected and he was no longer bleeding all over the place like he had the previous day, and most of the swelling had also subsided. There was nothing that could be done for his hair though – he had trimmed it to be as neat and as straight as his previous style, only it was obviously much shorter now, and just looking at it made Hiyori's agitation stir once again.

He lifted out his hand that he had been hiding in the long, opposing sleeve of his yukata and held it out to her palm up, as if asking for something. "Gimme your hand," he instructed by way of reply, and she looked at him like he was crazy.

"_No_. What are ya now, a perv?" she muttered even as she deliberately hid her hands behind her back. "Go away. I don't wanna look at yer dumb face."

She made to stalk past him but his hand snapped out at the last moment to catch her arm, long fingers wrapping around her wrist and pulling her to a stop before she could go anywhere. He brought her smaller limb up to his line of sight, and hissing like an offended cat, she tried to pull herself free but to no avail. He was too strong, and no matter how loudly she swore at him, he simply ignored her and turned her arm until he could see the back of her hand.

Her knuckles were bruised and swollen, staring back at him in an angry shade of mottled purple red. The skin over it was split, revealing raw, semi-scabbed flesh, and even as he held her wrist still, her hand was trembling finely from the trauma. His golden eyes immediately flew up to meet her stubborn, defiant ones.

"Why didn't ya go 'ta Hachi 'ta get yourself fixed?" he asked rather seriously. He had no doubt that her other hand was just as bad as the one he was holding right now.

She scowled at him and looked away. "I don't need any fixin'," she insisted obstinately. "Lemme go, damn baldy – _ow_! _Fuck!_"

He simply pressed down firmly on one of her sore knuckles to prove her wrong, and then simply watched her as she turned pale and started to swear.

"Did ya break your knuckles?" he asked. "Be honest, Hiyori, or I'll find out myself."

Looking very unhappy, she sullenly shook her head. "No, I didn't."

He continued to look at her very skeptically. She squirmed inwardly under his stare, but she still tried to play it cool. "I don't know. Maybe."

He lifted his brow, and at last, she could not take it anymore. "Alright, yes! Your stupid mug was so hard I broke my hands on it, happy now?!" she snapped and quickly tried to pull her arm back again, but he wasn't letting go. Instead, he just turned around and headed towards the men's quarters where their resident Kido expert was, dragging the protesting girl with him along the way.

"Hage Shinji, what are ya doin'! Release me, bastard!"

"We're gonna get your hands fixed right now, brat," he told her, pulling her into the room where Hachigen and Rose were currently having a discussion with each other. The two men looked up at their entrance.

"Hachi, please take a look at Hiyori's hands. The 'lil idiot broke them yesterday but didn't deem it important 'ta have it healed right away."

Hiyori was immediately incensed. "Don't call me an idiot, ya big idiot!" She was also trying to squirm away from him but was having little progress in that endeavor. "Leggo of me or I'm gonna hit ya, I swear 'ta god!"

He was unfazed by her threats as he hauled her right up to Hachi. "Nice try, but I doubt ya can even hit a fly right now," he retorted in a calm manner that seemed to piss her off even more. "But ya may properly hit me again once ya get your hands fixed."

Hachi exchanged a bewildered glance with Rose, who looked just as perplexed. Here they were watching the odd, squabbling pair going at it again; Shinji – who had received a rather fierce beating from Hiyori yesterday – was now dragging said girl over to mend the wounds that she had apparently accumulated in the process of carrying out the aforementioned beating, while at the same time placating her short temper by promising to let her smack him around again if she submitted herself to healing Kido.

"Isn't this going to be a vicious cycle, though?" Hachi murmured to his companion, looking rather bemused. Rose shrugged slowly, still eyeing the other two blondes with idle interest.

"Perhaps this is the norm for them? They do seem to communicate rather well in this strange manner."

It was no surprise that rumors eventually began to spread around amongst the Vizards regarding Shinji's certain proclivity for…_pain_. The fact that he never retaliated against Hiyori whenever she beat on him would just further support this hypothesis. By the time Shinji realized what all the other Vizards thought of him – their perverted, closet masochist of a leader – it was already far too late to change their opinion, much to his everlasting chagrin.

* * *

**Omake #2**

Hiyori's eyelid twitched as she stared at Shinji's head. The longer she looked at the dumbass, the more agitated she became, until her reiatsu was stirring with warning and even the man in question was noticing the way she was giving him the evil eye.

"What did I do now?" he asked warily, keeping the small blonde in view at all times in case she suddenly decided to attack him.

"Your hair pisses me off," she snapped irritably then, and he sighed.

"Give it a rest already, will ya?" the ex-Captain replied. "It's been a month – you should have gotten used 'ta it by now."

"I can't help it that your dumb hair pisses me off," the female Vizard muttered uncharitably, much to his increasing exasperation.

"My hair can't be always pissin' ya off," he tried to reason with her. "Ya used 'ta say that I looked ugly with long hair, so this should be an improvement, right?"

"Yeah, ya definitely looked ugly with long hair," she agreed with him. "But now ya also look stupid with short hair. Some improvement. You should just go bald already, hage."

Shinji twitched.

* * *

_::owari::_

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**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Well, this arc is a pretty short one, so we will be going back to the present time in the next chapter. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this all the same.

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I have always wondered why Shinji was so passive whenever Hiyori was beating him up – he certainly wasn't like that at all during the 'Turn Back The Pendulum' arc. Back then, whenever she hit him, he would usually at least retaliate in some way or another. After they were exiled though, he simply became even more accepting of his 'role' as her designated punching bag. Of course, he still snarks back at her and spars with her verbally, but notice how he doesn't really 'fight' back anymore, at least not in the physical sense?

Well, so this is my hypothesis of why that is so. Hiyori smacks him around every time he's being stupid (or when she simply feels like it), and to her, feeling guilty and moping over something that wasn't his fault in the first place definitely counts as 'incredibly, unbelievably stupid.' Shinji lets her because he really needed those reminders to center himself, painful as they were, and then, well, over time, certain feelings started to develop, he grew more affectionate of her – and after that, there was really no more possibility of him bullying her back anymore.

…you can ignore the last part if you want. That's probably just me with my shipping goggles on, haha.

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Also, Shinji's hair. Out of all the Vizards, Shinji's hairstyle was the one that had altered the most drastically. It might simply have been an aesthetic choice on his part, but seeing how much he prized his hair, I have serious doubts on that theory.

So here's my more dramatic take on it. All Shinigami are swordsmen, and traditional Japanese swordsmen, referred to as kenshin, follow Bushido, also known as the Way of the Warrior, the moral code of the Samurai.

For Samurai, their hair (or rather, topknot) is a source of honor and personal pride. To have it forcibly cut off by an enemy is akin to symbolic castration (a very, _very_ disrespectful act), but on the other hand, voluntary removal is considered a renouncement of title, social status, and pride. It's still really shameful, laying out one's own pride like that, but it can also be seen as an act of atonement.

I might have exaggerated it a little, but I do believe that Shinji would feel great responsibility for what had happened to the other Vizards, and this was one way of him showing his remorse for failing to keep Aizen in check.

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And that's all I have for this chapter! Until next time!

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Last but not least, thanks for reading!

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Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	22. Chapter 22

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2860

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 25/08/13

**Completed on:** 26/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 12/10/13

* * *

**My Lover the Cat – Part I**

* * *

**i. Cats Love with Sleeping. As sleep champs, felines typically sleep up to 16 hours a day. Because they are most vulnerable during sleep, the place your cat chooses to snooze must be a secure and trusted location. There is no greater loving compliment than a cat choosing your lap for a favorite sleep spot.**

She slunk into his office one day, when he was alone and his Fukutaichou was out attending a meeting with the other Lieutenants.

Shinji had been pleasantly surprised by his lover's appearance – she had made no mention of the fact that she was coming to Seireitei to visit - and he was always happy whenever she made an effort to enter this realm to see him, which was still quite rare considering her existing prejudice and wariness against Soul Society. Setting his calligraphy brush down on the ink stone, he was about to stand up to greet her when she hastened her pace and reached him first, and then, without a word whatsoever, she simply slid onto his lap and kept him in his seat.

Shinji looked down at the small female quietly cuddling up against him with slight bemusement. Not that he was complaining, but it wasn't often that she would come up to him like that and demonstrate such affection. Leaning back into his chair, he wrapped his arms around her waiflike form and simply held her, and she relaxed further, her hands coming up to grab fistfuls of his kosode even as she pressed her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes, curling into him and luxuriating in his soothing scent and masculine warmth.

Her small shoulders heaved slightly as she sighed in contentment, and she quickly drifted off in a light doze, lulled by his steady and calm presence. He glanced down at her, his golden eyes gentle with fondness, and then he tilted downwards and tenderly kissed the crown of her light blonde head. She did not even stir, and after a brief moment of watching her sleep, he picked up his brush again and started to work on his paperwork anew, careful not to jostle the petite young woman napping against him.

Half an hour later, the light footsteps of Momo-chan could be heard along the engawa corridor outside, and his Lieutenant hurried into the office, looking a bit frazzled as she did so.

"I'm sorry, Hirako Taichou! The meeting ran a bit late because there was an accident with Kusajishi Fukutaichou and – _oh_." The dark-haired female abruptly stopped her profuse explanation to her superior when she finally noticed the splash of bright red resting against the blonde man. "S-Sarugaki-san!"

Shinji lifted his index finger to his lips and silently shushed the surprised female. Momo quickly nodded her understanding, and then she made a conscious effort to be as quiet as possible as she stole over to her desk, settling behind it as she placed the files she carried with her on the surface. Momo snuck a look at her Captain and his significant other, blushing slightly at the intimate sight of the bonded couple.

It would seem at first that the two were complete opposites and rather incompatible as lovers went, but then again, when one looked closer, there appeared to be an intangible bond between the two that drew them together. It was pretty obvious in the way Hirako Taichou was openly affectionate towards the smaller Vizard in a manner that was purely reserved for her, and Sarugaki-san would also become markedly less tense and edgy when she was around her partner, like a wild, wary feline that would only relax in trust around its mate. The imaginations of Momo's inner romantic took flight and the Lieutenant had to bite back a small girlish giggle even as she silently gave her well wishes and blessings to the rather unconventional pair – it was wonderful that her Captain had found someone to love, and it was also clear that he truly adored his other half, judging by the amount of care and attention he gave to her.

"Hirako Taichou," Momo whispered softly then, catching the lanky blonde's attention. She smiled kindly at her superior. "I think I can finish up here on my own. Why don't you take Sarugaki-san back to the barracks so she can rest properly?"

Shinji glanced at the clock. It was only four in the afternoon, and he usually only knocked off around six. He shook his head. "It's alright, Momo-chan. Hiyori will probably wake soon enough, and besides, I need 'ta finish this work today."

Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, the pigtailed Vizard started to stir and return to consciousness after her brief nap, a quiet, reluctant little exhalation escaping her as her lashes slowly fluttered open, revealing sleepy ochre eyes as she stared dazedly at the unfamiliar surroundings, still disoriented from just waking up. She eventually regained enough of her bearings and slowly pushed away more from her lover's chest, and Shinji briefly stopped what he was doing, leaning back against his chair to give her more space to maneuver about. "Finally up, brat?" he asked quietly, and she just yawned slightly, flashing her small pink tongue and cute little fang in the process, and absently rubbed at her eyes.

"Erm, hello, Sarugaki-san," Momo greeted in a cautiously amicable manner at the distracted female from the opposite desk and eventually received a groggy blink of acknowledgement in return. Then, without speaking to anyone, the petite female silently slipped off of her lover's lap and absently wandered back out of the office, leaving the two Fifth Division officers to stare after her departure.

Shinji just shook his head bemusedly and simply returned to his paperwork. This was as much of a quiet afternoon as he could expect when it came to his brat, and he knew better than to question what had led to it. Momo could not help herself – she smiled once again and clapped her hands with delight when she realized something.

"Sarugaki-san's like a little kitty!" the dark-haired Lieutenant pointed out with charmed enthusiasm. "How adorable!"

Her Captain winced inwardly at the A-word. "Please, Momo-chan, please don't ever call her that right to her face. You're a good Lieutenant with a fairly level head on yer shoulders – I'd hate 'ta lose ya 'ta an unfortunate accident, alright?"

* * *

**ii.** **Cats Love with Gifting. Mighty hunter cats that catch everything from toys to bugs, mice or frogs, often share the bounty with those they love. Kitties who present you with this bounty deserve praise. They wouldn't bring these special gifts if they didn't love you.**

When Shinji returned to his living quarters in the evening, he could smell the mouthwatering aroma of a home cooked meal wafting out from the kitchenette attached to his private rooms. It was a definite sign of Hiyori's presence, because there was no one else he knew (except for perhaps her mentor, Kirio-san) who could cook as well as she did, and besides, no one in his division was quite random (or brave) enough to break into their Captain's housing just to use his kitchen, of all things.

Shinji himself was not the most accomplished cook. As someone who was living alone, he could manage quick and simple dishes like fried rice and miso soup well enough, but they weren't really anything remarkable compared to what his lover could whip up with unbelievably deceptive ease - and sometimes with the most random ingredients that would have made other people throw their hands up to and give up on using. However, despite her natural affinity for the culinary arts, she did not choose to enter the kitchens often, so he was pretty surprised that she was making the effort today.

The Gobantai Taichou went to his bedroom and shrugged off his white haori and vest, stashing them on a wall hanger and leaving only the basic black shihakusho on. Then, he also released the sheathed Sakanade from the sash around his waist and set his zanpakuto on the sword stand beside his bed. Taking a moment to visit the bathroom to refresh himself, he wandered back out to the living area and into the kitchen to finally investigate the source of the delicious scent.

He promptly came face to the face with a freshly decapitated deer head sitting on his kitchen counter, complete with antlers, fuzzy fur, ears, cute black tipped nose, and wide open, accusing eyes.

Shinji swore in surprise and nearly took a step back; whereas he had definitely seen much scarier things before, he hadn't exactly been expecting to meet Bambi (albeit just the head) on his table. His startled exclamation immediately announced his presence to Hiyori, who wore an apron over her clothes and was standing by the sink (she had to use a small footstool in order to increase her reach over the counter) with an ominously bloodstained cleaver in hand as she prepared the meat.

"Bloody hell," the golden-haired Shinigami muttered as he looked warily between his lover and the deer head. The rest of the animal had already been expertly skinned, gutted and cleaned, neatly butchered and separated into different cuts until there was nothing that remotely resembled a torso. Hiyori turned her attention back to swiftly and efficiently cutting paper thin slices of meat from the piece of venison tenderloin that she was working on.

"We're havin' nabe tonight," she informed him shortly. "Teriyaki and yaki udon for sides, too."

It was pretty obvious what meat they would be using for the hotpot, the grilled dish, and the fried noodles.

"Where on earth did ya get the deer?" he immediately blurted out, still pretty flabbergasted by what he was seeing.

She glanced at him again and then shrugged with casual nonchalance. "There's a surge in deer population in the outskirts of Karakura. The forest wardens are encouragin' huntin' 'ta bring the numbers down."

Shinji immediately caught the implications of her words.

"So ya caught a deer and brought it all the way 'ta Seireitei from the Living Realm?" He sounded rather incredulous.

Once again, she shrugged with practiced indifference, though he was not buying her act whatsoever. The little wench was obviously very proud of herself for her deed.

"Winter's the best time for eatin' nabe," she stated simply. "And I wanna eat nabe."

She could have easily had the hot pot with the other Vizards back in Karakura, but she had chosen to haul an entire deer carcass back to Soul Society instead, _to him_. The implications were rather unavoidable, and suddenly, he couldn't quite seem to mind her rather grisly gift when she was being _so damn sweet_.

"Alright. Okay," he told her wryly at last even as he reached into a drawer to withdraw two thin strips of cloth which he quickly used to tie back his sleeves and keep them out of the way, revealing his toned biceps along with the rest of his sleek and muscular arms. "But I really don't think that we can eat this much meat, brat."

"I don't care," she told him as he drew up to her to offer his assistance. "Give the rest 'ta your underlings or whatever."

He reached out and framed her small face with his large but narrow hands and, taking advantage of her preoccupation with the raw steak, leaned in and kissed her deeply on the mouth. She stiffened at first before she slowly relaxed into the exchange, and when he pulled back minutes later, she was already looking slightly flushed, staring back at him with glowing ochre eyes. He smiled.

"I love ya too, ya know that right, brat?" he told her easily, and she quickly spluttered, turning bright red with embarrassment.

"I just wanna eat nabe," she snapped in an entirely flustered manner, and he had to bite back a chuckle. Such a cute little tsundere she was.

"Yes, yes, nabe it is. What can I help ya with?"

She slapped his hand away sharply before he could successfully pinch a piece of teriyaki venison from the plate on the other side of the counter. "Don't touch my food, dumbass! Go lay out the kotatsu or somethin'."

He stole another quick kiss (much to her ruffled indignation) before slipping off to fulfill her demand, this time snickering outright and skillfully dodging the infuriated swing of her cleaver as he did so.

"HAGE SHINJI!"

* * *

**iii. Cats Love with their Eyes. A kitty's eyes are proportionately very large—if human's eyes were the same proportion, our eyes would be eight inches across! As such, cat eyes are important assets for survival, yet extremely vulnerable. Cats that place their faces and wide open eyes near a human express great trust and love. A slow "eye blink" from across the room is considered a cat kiss.**

In the end, there was just so much food to go around that they ended up inviting Kensei, Mashiro, Ichigo and Rukia for dinner as well. The Eighth Division and the Ninth Division were right beside each other, after all, and that made it easier when it came to gathering up the prospective dinner mates in one shot. Shinji had called upon others to join in as well, but the invitation was a rather impromptu one and everyone else either already had plans or had taken their meals.

However, even with only three pairs of couples sharing the hotpot around the kotatsu, dinner was still incredibly boisterous and rowdy. They all managed to finish the food that Hiyori had prepared between the six of them though, and eventually dispersed from Shinji's place a few hours' later, after enjoying the delicious dinner and excellent company.

The Fifth Division Captain returned to his living room after seeing their friends out only to find his lover happily curled half under the table amongst the seat cushions, luxuriating in the heat exuding from the inbuilt radiator and steadily lulled into a meat-induced coma from her earlier heavy and fulfilling meal. The dirty dishes and utensils were already soaking in the sink and could be taken care of later, and so he simply joined her, slipping his long legs under the cozy covers and stretching out beside her. He turned to lie on his side just as she did, and they both faced each other; their eyes met, and then held.

His steady, golden gaze simply captivated her, warm and mesmerizing, and it made her own drowsy ochre eyes sharpen slightly with rousing attention as she instinctively responded to his inviting and openly affectionate stare.

After a while, Hiyori blinked very slowly, and then she lazily rolled onto her stomach, stretching lightly before belly crawling the short distance between them to close the gap, displacing seat cushions along the way. She parked herself right beside him and brought her face really close to his, languidly peering at him with fascination like he was the most interesting (or perplexing) thing she had ever seen, and she was just dying to figure him out. Since this was not the first time she had done this – she was such a weird little thing – he just stayed still and watched her evenly in return, undaunted by her odd action. He loved her beautiful eyes; they were slightly tilted like a feline's, almost too big for her small, delicate face, and were so utterly expressive and full of curiosity. Besides, she also only seemed to exhibit this sort of behavior with him, so he chose to take it as a special, Hiyori-esque Look-I-let-ya-so-close-'ta-me-and-haven't-clawed-h alf-yer-face-off-yet sort of backhanded compliment.

His brat was just too adorable for her own good sometimes, quirks and all.

Then, Hiyori blinked again, the long, dark blonde lashes that framed her glowing eyes sweeping down briefly to fan her freckled cheeks before fluttering open once again, and their shared moment was lost. She started to pull back, but he was unwilling to let her go too far from him yet. Instead, he reached out and dropped an arm over her waist and hips, stalling her movements and blocking her retreat, tugging her to him and rolling onto his back, bringing her along with him to sprawl on his chest.

She, surprisingly, did not protest his handling. Her belly was full and she was feeling rather calm and sedated at the moment, and he provided a nice and warm surface to rest on in this chilly climate. She had no complaints and was more than willing to curl up with him for a post dinner nap. He was also rubbing her back in a really slow, soothing manner that made her melt completely into his lean, rangy frame, and tucking her face into his neck, she nuzzled him sleepily before closing her eyes and dozing off, utter contentment oozing from her small, satisfied form.

Shinji chuckled softly and simply gathered her close. He turned his head to the side to brush a gentle kiss across her cheek, and then he, too, simply shut his eyes and took his siesta as well.

The winter night was quiet and peaceful, and for the snugly entwined pair of lovers, it was simply perfect.

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

This is the start of a new mini-series that will span three chapters. Obviously, this is a kitty-themed arc set in the present timeline, and it is dedicated to my good friend, the lovely Lilithkiss, and her five kitties. =) Even though you've read them already, Lilith, this is a shoutout to you!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

I found out by chance that Hiyori's a Leo in terms of astrology. I did a bit of further reading and also quickly realized that her personality is very much like her star sign. Even though she's known as the monkey brat (courtesy of her name 'Saru' and 'gaki'), I feel like she's very much like a cat too, and so here's my interpretation of kitty!Hiyori.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Fluff and pointless romance in the next couple of chapters, so hang tight!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Last but not least, thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX **

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


	23. Chapter 23

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author: **paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing: **Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2972

**Rating: **T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary: **'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 26/08/13

**Completed on:** 27/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 21/10/13

* * *

**My Lover the Cat – Part II**

* * *

**iv. Cats Love with Rolling. When your cat either drops to the floor and rolls around, or jumps up on your bed or another piece of furniture and does the same, she's trying to get your attention and affection. When a kitty shows her tummy voluntarily, it's only to those she truly trusts and loves.**

Winter was truly the most unbearable season of the year for Hiyori.

The daylight hours were short and the weather would get so ridiculously chilly that nobody was willing to risk the outside elements longer than necessary. Then, there was the detestable snow to contend with, unnecessary powdery white stuff that was cold and melted all over the place and seeped uncomfortably into her clothes, clogging up the roads and piling up everywhere, blanketing the land in a glaring white landscape that was almost uncomfortable to look at.

The humans in the Living realm seemed to really adore it though, and some were even willing to go through all the trouble of making painstaking works of art out of it in the atrocious climate, while others were happy to simply roll around in it, much to the petite blonde's derision and bewilderment. It was just flakes of crystalline water, and when the spring melt came, it turned to disgusting and slippery, muddy slush that was completely unsightly and impossible to avoid. What was so good about snow again?

Winter was also the unofficial season for lovers, or at least it certainly felt that way to Hiyori. It seemed like _all_ the lovebirds in the entirety of Karakura had picked this period of time to emerge from whatever love nests they had been holing up in for the rest of the year just to specifically troll the streets, and everywhere she turned, there would be couples huddling together, faces rosy and their gazes sappy with affection for their partners, holding hands, hugging, kissing, cooing and god knew what else. The overabundance of _love_ hanging around Karakura like the plague irritated Hiyori very much, and in the end, it was the final straw that convinced her to slink off to the Soul realm to take a break from all the lovey-dovey-ness that was running rampant in the human world.

Even though it was also winter time in the other dimension, at least Soul Society was still pretty much permanently stuck in ancient times and she didn't have to put up with public displays of affection being shoved in her face everywhere she turned. Also, the residents in Seireitei mostly tended to be more subdued and low key during the winter months, which made the place a bit more tolerable for her with less Shinigami milling uselessly about and getting on her nerves. For rather obvious reasons, she usually lingered around the Fifth Division most when she visited, sometimes even the Third, the Eight and the Ninth, but it was mostly the baldy's pad that she kept to, and this time was no different.

Unfortunately, Hiyori had woken up that morning in her lover's bed to the most disagreeable weather outside. There was a fierce storm howling outside and it did not look like it would be abating anytime soon – they were all snowed in for the foreseeable future. Stuck in Shinji's rooms and with nothing better to do, Hiyori was very quickly remembering just how utterly boring it was to be living in Soul Society during the winter period.

The petite blonde could not believe that she was thinking this, but suddenly, she would rather tolerate Karakura and its endless parade of lovers on the streets as long as she was no longer caught here. It was just very unfortunate that all the Senkaimon had been shut down due to the terrible storm and there was no way out of Soul Society right now, not to mention that Hiyori wasn't entirely sure that she was willing to brave the snowstorm outside in order to go anywhere. It was barely noon, and already the young woman was nearly bored out of her mind. Shinji's quarters were pretty basic, all things considered; it had all the bare necessities and little clutter – just the way he liked it. He had neat shelves of books and endless scores of his favorite music, but Hiyori wasn't really the reading type, and, besides, she found his books on poetry and philosophy utterly dull and uninspiring.

There was jazz playing lightly in the background though, and while she wasn't exactly an enthusiastic fan, it was still better than listening to the relentless howling of the winds outside. Groaning and sinking to the floor in a puddle of extreme boredom, the small Vizard thunked her head against the tatami mat, and she eventually plopped onto her back and tried to occupy herself by counting the number of wooden beams on the ceiling. That didn't take long to accomplish, and very soon, she had nothing to do again, much to her displeasure.

The rustling of paper a few paces away reminded her quite abruptly of the presence of the other occupant in the room. Angling her head slightly, Hiyori saw Shinji sitting by the kotatsu, looking at paperwork that had been sent over by an unfortunate runner a few hours earlier. Files were strewn all over the low table; it seemed that being a Taichou was still as tedious as it had been a century ago, and the bureaucratic responsibilities alone would cripple lesser men. It made Hiyori wonder why Shinji had even bothered taking up the captaincy post once again – he didn't look like he particularly enjoyed most of the job, and she knew for a fact that he wasn't a masochist, not really.

Then, the pigtailed blonde wondered why she was contemplating her lover's career choice all of a sudden and promptly concluded that she needed a distraction before she started thinking even more random stuff. Rolling onto her stomach, Hiyori soundlessly crept under the toasty warm kotatsu from the side opposite of Shinji and reemerged the upper half of her body beside him. Then, she flopped onto her back again and just looked up at him expectantly.

"What are ya doin'?" Shinji asked bemusedly as he glanced down briefly at her.

She shrugged wordlessly, but continued to lay there and just _stare_ at him intently with her feline eyes as he turned back to his documents. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long before the adamant weight of her insistent gaze caused him to completely lose concentration on his work, and with an exasperated sigh, he at last set his brush against the ink stone and shifted his focus to the petite female.

"Yes, brat? Do ya want somethin' from me?"

She shrugged again, looking nonchalant as possible, and he shook his head, inwardly amused by her standoffish demeanor.

"C'mere." He reached for her, and the fact that she did not resist was telling enough.

He leaned down to kiss her, brushing his mouth softly against hers at first, before his tongue darted out to slide teasingly against the seam of her lips. The effect was instantaneous, and it was as if he had flipped on a switch in her. She tilted her face up to his, her small hands coming up to cup his jaw, and then she was eagerly attacking his mouth with obvious enthusiasm and passion, dragging him down to the floor to join her.

"_Hiyori_," he groaned out a strangled chuckle when she pinned him down and climbed on top of him instead, showering him with kisses at the same time.

"Alright, now ya have my full attention."

* * *

**v. Cats Love with Purrs. Her purrs can mean a variety of things, from delight to expressions of concern. And kitty purrs range from soft and subtle to Mack-truck loud. When your cat purrs in your presence, you can be sure she's expressing her love for you.**

Ten minutes later, a rather flustered, still aroused, and unimaginably irritated Hiyori was righting her clothes and swearing under her breath as a deceptively calm, unruffled and half-dressed Shinji stood at the entrance of his private rooms and dismissed his poor, shell shocked, and embarrassed underling. The latter Shinigami, an unranked member of the Fifth Division, had chosen to burst into his Captain's living quarters with another batch of paperwork at the most inopportune moment, and he would have gotten more than an eyeful of his boss's lady love if not for said male's swift reflexes and quick thinking.

It was just as well that the Taichou had reacted immediately to the presence of the intruder even in the heat of passion, and had responded promptly by throwing his yelping lover off of him and right under the covers of the kotatsu (it was a good thing that she was so small and travel sized), protecting her modesty and indirectly saving his inept subordinate from at least a decade of latrine cleaning duty. That aside, Hiyori was not a happy camper – they had been nearing the good part when the baldy's idiotic lackey decided to crash the party, and now she was sexually frustrated but was also feeling way too agitated to want to pick up from where they had left off.

By the time Shinji sent off the profusely apologizing and mortified Shinigami (but not before giving the young man a rather sarcastic and strongly worded reprimand focused around the merits of knocking before entering someone's quarters) and returned to the living room, Hiyori was no longer in sight, having already taken off in a fit of pique. The Fifth Division Captain dropped the new stack of paperwork on the table and then picked up his discarded kosode and shitagi from the floor before simply following the trail of restless energy into his bedroom. He wasn't surprised that she hadn't gone far – the snowstorm was still at its zenith outside and therefore her movements were still restricted to the boundaries of his rooms.

He found her curled up in a sulky ball on his futon, her back facing the door, her feathers obviously still ruffled by the earlier incident. The golden-haired male was not very perturbed; he hung the top half of his shihakusho and his white under robe on the wall hook before he approached his high strung lover, climbing into bed in only his hakama and coming up from the back to spoon her. She bristled indignantly at his touch, but he ignored her and tugged her slowly to his chest, ducking his head and nuzzling the side of her neck gently as he did so.

"Your minion's a fuckin' moron," she muttered bitterly after a while, and he huffed softly by her ear in agreement.

"He's a newbie, and he honestly didn't mean it," Shinji replied, his tone wry. "He also apologized for his careless oversight already, so just let it go, brat."

She grunted and was obviously disinclined to agree, but he was pretty good at distracting her, lightly nipping the sensitive shell of her ear even as his hand slipped under the hem of her white tank top to caress the soft skin of her stomach with amorous affection. Hiyori quickly smacked his hand away and twisted around in his arms to scowl at him.

"I don't feel like doin' it anymore," she told him grouchily.

"Alright," he responded simply, respecting her decision and backing off accordingly. As much as he enjoyed making love to her, he wasn't about to push the issue if she didn't want it.

"But you're still cold, aren't ya? Let's just cuddle for a bit, then."

She stiffened slightly at the C-word, but she did not push him away. The little pigtailed blonde was still a bit touchy, but she submitted to her lover's embrace, and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, tangling their legs together and generously sharing his body heat with her. He was bare chested and he smelled really good, and as usual, his presence and proximity served to pacify her and soothe her short temper. She slowly eased into his hold more and more, becoming less ornery and crabby the longer she stayed in his arms, her head resting against his chest and her eyes closing, gradually lulled into a state of relaxed calm by the strong, steady sounds of his beating heart.

He was also stroking her back idly in a way that he knew she liked, and his tender ministrations just made her feel very, very good. It wasn't long before she was a quiet and boneless mass of contentment curled up against him, shivering slightly from the sheer pleasure of his touch, soft, languid purrs trilling from her throat as he pampered her with his attention. Hiyori arched her back and then pressed herself up against him in an unspoken demand for him to keep going and to not stop, the sounds thrumming from her chest increasing slightly in volume as euphoria assailed her.

"More?" he asked huskily against her ear, his blood stirring instinctively at the sounds of her arousing little sighs and moans. She opened glowing ochre eyes to look at his own darkened ones and slowly nodded.

He kissed the crown of her flaxen gold head.

"As you wish."

* * *

**vi. Cats Love with Kneading. Kneading behaviors—front paw treading on soft surfaces—hearken back to kittenhood. Kitten paws knead against the mother cat's breasts to induce milk to be released. Adult cats continue the behavior when they're feeling most relaxed and content and loved, and that's often when being petted on the owner's lap. Kneading is an obvious expression of adoration.**

The baldy had the most amazing hands in the world, Hiyori decided dazedly as she laid draped on her stomach over his lap and he singlehandedly (pun fully intended) turned her into a pile of Hiyori-flavored jello.

It was not the first time that the petite blonde had come to this important conclusion. Even before they had finally gotten together, she had already known that he was very good with his hands, and he gave the best backrubs that she had ever received in the entire span of her long life. The calm steady strokes of his large but narrow hands, the lazy dig and glide of his strong thumbs and fingers, the firm pressure of his palms against the arch of her spine, they all came together perfectly and never failed to turn her into a quivering ball of pleasure.

He didn't often volunteer this service to her though, at least not in the past. She usually had to threaten/browbeat and/or corner/guilt/bribe him into putting his magic hands to good use on her, since he was extremely unwilling to do so for some reason or another. However, his reluctance seemed to have disappeared completely after they became lovers, and now he was always willing to indulge her whenever she asked for a backrub. Come to think of it, his behavior and subsequent change of mind sure was pretty strange.

Shinji merely sighed with slight exasperation when she pointed that out to him.

"Hiyori," he told her in a long suffering but wryly amused tone. "Do ya hear yourself whenever I lay my hands on ya? Every time I give ya a backrub, ya mew and whimper so sweetly that ya tempt me 'ta use other ways 'ta make ya melt instead. I'm only a man, luv, and I'm also not _that_ much of a masochist no matter what the others say."

Even as he spoke, his voice was just a tad rougher, tinged with arousal as he continued to touch her, and she squirmed lightly against him with pleasure. "See?" he pointed out when she let out a silky purr. "Touchin' ya is sweet torture when ya don't even notice what ya do 'ta me."

Hiyori rolled onto her back on his lap, displacing his hands and looking up at him. Her fingers drew idle, elaborate patterns on his knee. She was utterly relaxed now and she also appeared to be in a rather affectionate mood as she rubbed his leg in return. The pigtailed Vizard then slowly pushed herself up to sit on his thighs, her small hands sliding up against the hard planes of his abdomen, the firm flesh of his sleek pectorals. She could not seem to stop touching him all of a sudden, and her catlike eyes started to gleam with feminine interest and desire the more she caressed him.

She was certainly noticing him now.

"Is it still sweet torture now 'ta touch me?" she asked, partly in curiosity and partly in growing lust.

His narrow, golden eyes watched her closely, his pupils dilating ever so slightly at the way she was looking at him.

"Always," he told her, his tone a low, intimate timbre that made the hair at the back of her neck stand up with complete awareness. "You're gonna be the death of me, brat."

His reply pleased her, and she leaned into him, accepting his embrace. Sensing her receptive demeanor, he slowly ducked his golden head against the side of her exposed throat, lightly nipping and kissing the sensitive flesh there and causing her to tremble faintly with pleasure.

"S-Shinji," she muttered helplessly after a while of his ministrations, pressing close to him even as her hands roved all over his bare torso with increasing restlessness. He was surely driving her as crazy as he claimed she did him. Her eyes were bright with passion, and she arched her small, lithe body into his larger one, rubbing against him in an unmistakably ardent and inviting fashion. He growled lightly at her provocation, and then she turned her head to kiss him deeply on the mouth before suddenly pulling back and looking at him meaningfully and needily.

"I think I want ya, _now_."

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

**Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

I think by now most of you would have already gotten the gist of the writing style for this particular mini-arc. Yes, it's actually not a triple-shot, but, rather, a nine-part connected vignette series, with three vignettes bundled together per chapter (wow, that sounded way more complicated than it actually is, haha).

Anyway, as always, I hope that you guys enjoyed this one, and my apologies for the lateness!

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For those of you who are dying to know – no, there will be no smut in this mini-series. There will be allusions to intimacy, but because this is a vignette collection (and my smuts tend to be super longwinded for some reason), this will not be one of 'those' arcs. =)

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I'm really glad that kitty!Hiyori is so well-received by all of you – she reminds me of a scruffy feral cat sometimes, so I couldn't help but write her that way.

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As mentioned in the previous chapter, this entire 'kitty' series is dedicated to my good friend, Lilithkiss. This amazing lady has created some of the most wonderful ShiYori fanarts that I've seen, so if any of you're in need of some cute/sexy/cool ShiYori fix, do consider visiting her tumblr blog – and remember to give her some love too!

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Last but not least, thanks for reading!

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Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws


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